George Dawson
George
Dawson, 1921-2017
George
Dawson, of Dallas, died in his sleep on Wednesday, July 26, 2017. He was
96-years old.
Brooklyn born
and only offspring of Scottish immigrants George and Mary Dawson, he raised homing
pigeons on the roof of his apartment building and began a life-long love of
music, learning to play the violin, piano and trumpet. After graduating high
school, he married his childhood sweet heart, Gertrude “Becky” Becker with whom
he had one daughter, Diane. He joined the Army during World War II but served out
his tour stateside, playing trumpet in an Army dance band that performed at USO
shows.
Upon his
discharge, he took a sergeant’s advice and moved to Denton, Texas to enroll in
North Texas State University (now University of North Texas) and its world-renowned
music program. His talent and studies were rewarded when, after graduation, he
joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as a bass player. Being a symphony
musician in post-war America was not a full-time occupation so in the “off-season,”
he performed with bands for dances and various events at some of Dallas’
marquee downtown hotels and taught classes at community colleges in subjects as
varied as music appreciation, fencing and ballroom dancing. It was during this
time that he met a young, red-haired model named Kim Garrett.
They married
on October 31, 1952 and over the next ten years had three children, Kim, Lisa
and George (Tiger). While continuing his tenure with Dallas Symphony, he took
up photography. This soon enough led to his second career as a commercial/fashion
photographer. In the mid-1960s he became one of the first to be hired by The Photographers
Inc., which was establishing itself as one of the city’s top commercial studios.
His work as a fashion photographer took him around the globe for shoots in such
far-flung locations as Kenya, Thailand, Peru, Greece and Ireland. He retired
from commercial photography and joined Kim in his third and final career,
running the modeling agency she had founded in 1964, The Kim Dawson Agency.
Along the
way, he devoted himself to his many passions, becoming a quietly ferocious
tennis player, collecting art, studying French, attending the opera and
traveling the world with Kim. But ever always his highest devotion was to his
wife and children. He cared lovingly for Kim through her long battle with
Alzheimer’s.
George is
survived by Diane McGee and husband Bill, Dr. Kim Dawson Vernon and husband
John, Lisa Dawson and husband Tom Maurstad, Tiger Dawson and wife Leslie. He
had eight grandchildren: Chris Honeycutt, Dana Honeycutt Down, Taylor Vernon,
Lauren Prescott, Anna Dawson, Kimberly Dawson, Aidan Maurstad, and two
great-grandchildren, Guerin Honeycutt and Dawson Prescott.
