George Chapman Singer, 96, of Burlington, Vermont, died on March 9, 2024, after a short illness.

George was born on June 23, 1927, and grew up in Yonkers, New York, the son of Virginia Chapman and Albert H. Singer. A 1944 graduate of Scarborough School, Scarborough, New York, George met his future wife, Gloria, in the ninth grade. After graduation, he accepted an appointment to Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy. He served as a midshipman in the US Merchant Marine on the SS Alcoa Pointer, which hauled bauxite from Venezuela to New Orleans.

After the war ended, George earned a BA in English at Dartmouth College, graduating magna cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Days after graduation, on June 16, 1950, George and Gloria were married in Zion's Episcopal Church in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Two months later, they settled in Philadelphia, where George earned an MBA with Distinction at The Wharton School.

George began his business career as a registered representative on the New York Stock Exchange, working initially for Shields & Company, while he and Gloria began their family. Over time they gradually moved north from Yonkers to Dobbs Ferry to North Tarrytown to Bedford, New York, before moving to Burlington, Vermont, in 1971. In Burlington, George managed W.E. Hutton & Company’s office, before opening a regional office for Dean Witter (now Morgan Stanley) in 1976. He retired in 1993.

George learned to ski at Dartmouth and soon taught Gloria this new sport. As his family grew, so did their love for skiing. George first skied at Mad River Glen in 1960, and within a few years it became his family’s skiing home. George skied until he was 86 years old and enjoyed taking his grandchildren down his favorite trails.

Books were an enduring passion for George. His fascination with rare books began when he was a teenager, and he enjoyed collecting throughout his life. Over many years George amassed a significant collection of Adirondack books and prints. After retirement, George and Gloria started a small business, The Ashley Book Company, which specialized in rare forgeries and private press books.

George was a long-time member of the Grolier Club of New York City, where he served as the organization’s representative to the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies. In that capacity, he attended many conferences and was a valued expert in the field of antiquarian books. He donated most of his valuable collections to Dartmouth’s Rauner Library. Ever a student, in 1974 George embarked on a graduate degree in English at UVM, focusing on the study of Middle English and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

A lifelong runner, George started jogging in the early 1960s long before it was popular. He ran and rode his bike into his early 90s. Starting in 1963, George climbed the Adirondack 46 over the course of 38 years, summiting his last peak with his grandson, Christopher.

After George’s first visit to Lake George in 1941, he spent time “at the lake” every year of his life. He raced sailboats and motorboats, waterskied, and made lifelong friends. Together with his father and Gloria, George established a family camp on Lake George’s Heart Bay that has brought together five generations of his family. He was a member of the Northern Lake George Yacht Club for nearly 75 years.

George was always up for fun and a little mischief -- and narrowly got away with a few of his escapades. As a teenager and young man, George was known to waterski at night and once sailed the length of Lake George in a borrowed Star overloaded with “provisions.” George entertained his children and grandchildren by occasionally swallowing a fly or spider!

For decades, George was an active supporter of Lake George and the Ticonderoga community. He served on the boards of the Lake George Association, the Lake George Land Conservancy, and Fort Ticonderoga’s National Council Advisory. George was deeply committed to the revitalization of Ticonderoga, and he believed in the life changing power of higher education. To that end, George established a scholarship fund for area high school graduates to continue their education in skilled trades.

George was predeceased by his wife, Gloria, and is survived by his children, Lauren (Peter Waite), Robert, and Margaret (Michael Huffman). He leaves nine grandchildren, Hillary (Brendan Condit), Christopher (Kirsten Lundquist), and Hannah (Dan Glatt) Waite; Hans, Isabel and Nina (twins) Singer; Peter, Samuel, and George Huffman; and seven great-grandchildren.

There will be a celebration at Lake George this summer to gather George’s family and friends. A small service is planned for April 4th at 3:00 p.m. at All Saints Church in South Burlington.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Lake George Land Conservancy/George C. Singer Education Fund, Ticonderoga Alliance/George C. Singer Skilled Career Scholarship Endowment Fund, or Fort Ticonderoga/Education Programs Fund.