George H. Usry

George Howard Usry III, 80, died Sunday, February 10 following a brief illness with his loving wife by his side.

He leaves behind his beloved wife of 59 years, Diddy Lynn (DuBose) Usry; his sons Greg (Mary Beth) and Matt; his seven grandchildren, Zarin Usry of Hot Springs, AR; Connor and Quinn Usry of Rye, NY; Ben, Elouise and Sarah Beth Usry of Greenville, SC; and two great-grandchildren, Haven and Max Gray of Hot Springs, AR. George was preceded in death by his son Alan and his grandson Jack, as well as his brother Tommy and sister Patricia.

Born and raised in Waycross, GA, he was the son of GH and Lucille Usry. George left Waycross in 1956 to enroll in Clemson College, where he earned a BS in Electrical Engineering. While at Clemson he was an accomplished scholar-athlete excelling in both baseball and football. During his time at Clemson, George was a member of the 1959 Sugar Bowl team, the 1960 Bluebonnet Bowl team and was invited to play in the 1960 Blue-Gray All Star Bowl. He started in 30 consecutive regular season football games and two bowl games for the Tigers, and held a number of single season records while playing both offense and defense. As a student, George was a member of Tiger Brotherhood, Blue Key Honor Society, the Block C Club and the Numeral Society.

Following George's graduation from Clemson in 1960, he worked for Belton South Carolina Light and Power, Duke Power and the Bristol Tennessee Electric System before joining the Athens (TN) Utility Board as General Manager. George retired in 2000 after serving as General Manager for 28 years, the longest tenure in Athens history. While in Athens, George was involved in numerous professional and civic organizations including the American Public Power Association (APPA) where he served two terms on the Board of Directors, was a member of the Board of Directors of the Electric Power Research Institute, the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association and the Tennessee Municipal Electrical Power Association. George was awarded the Harold Kramer-John Preston Personal Service award by the APPA in 1987.

In Athens, George was a member of the Jaycees, the Lions Club, the Chamber of Commerce and the McMinn County Economic Development Authority. He served as president of the Kiwanis Club, was president of the YMCA Board of Directors and was a member of the administrative board and chairman of the finance committee for Keith United Methodist Church. In 1977 George was recognized by the Chamber of Commerce as the Athens Area Man of the Year. George was an avid sailor spending countless days with Lynn on Watts Bar, the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean.


Following George's retirement he returned to Clemson to actively follow his Tigers on the gridiron and the baseball diamond. He was also an active member of the Clemson United Methodist Church.

Services will be held at the Clemson United Methodist Church on Saturday, February 16 at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations to Shriners Hospital or the Clemson United Methodist Church.