George obtained a BS and MS in chemistry from Oregon State University in 1957 and 1958 and a PhD in organic chemistry from UCLA in 1962. After postdoctoral studies at the University of London he joined Lederle Laboratories in Pearl River, New York in1964. His almost 40- year career at Lederle/Wyeth included structural and bioorganic studies on pharmacologically active mold metabolites; spermidine, glycopeptide and tetracycline antibiotics; enediyne antitumor agents; and finally biophysical chemistry and enzymology for hit and lead characterization and assay development. His group’s efforts on the structure and DNA cleavage chemistry of the enediyne antitumor agent calicheamicin help lead to Mylotarg®, an antibody conjugate for use in the treatment of acute myologenous leukemia in elderly patients shown to be refractory to conventional chemotherapy. He also contributed to the development of Tygacil®, a new semisynthetic tetracycline active against resistant bacterial infections that are no long susceptible to previously useful antimicrobial agents. George retired from Wyeth in 2004 and in 2005 became an Adjunct Senior Research Chemist at Columbia University working in the laboratory of Professors Koji Nakanishi and Nina Berova.