George S. Wang passed peacefully in Laguna Beach, California, in the early morning hours on July 2, 2020. Born in the town of Dai Xian in the province of Shanxi, China on December 20 during the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929), his official birthday stands at December 20, 1931 due to an error made decades ago converting the Chinese calendar. He is survived by his loving wife, Nora Wang, their daughter, Anita Wang and her husband Howard Huhem of Laguna Beach, and their son Willis Wang and his wife Terri Yahia of Waban, Massachusetts, and grandsons Ethan, Henry, Jacob, Alex, and Zachary, as well as a sister, Liu Shu-Fun and her family in Taiwan.

George and Nora met in Taipei, Taiwan in 1954 after their families fled there from China when the Nationalist government lost the Chinese Civil War. He was deeply proud of their families, especially of his father and father-in-law. George's father, Wang Teh, was a general in the Nationalist's Air Force and advisor to General Yen Xishan, and Nora's father, Army General Liang Huashing, was a member of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy and whom General Chiang Kai-Shek appointed in 1945 to be the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Manchuria and Governor of Jilin Province. They married in 1955 in the U.S. when they were international students at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIU).

Learning was a passion for George, and after spending time at SIU, Washington University in St. Louis, and St. Louis University, he earned B.S., MS., and Ph.D. degrees in business and economics. This educational foundation and love for teaching landed him eventually at Meramec College as the business division dean for 34 years. During a year sabbatical in 1996-1997, George established the first U.S.-China joint MBA program approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education. The successful program between Webster University and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics has had more than 1,000 graduates since its launch, and the chance to lead an academic program and teach in China was a professional highlight.

Academia, however, was not George's only passion. After becoming a U.S. citizen in 1962, George began to pursue his artistic interests and as a self-taught painter, his acrylic paintings of horses using traditional Chinese brushes won many awards. He also was a natural born leader who loved being around people. Whether organizing tennis and golf tournaments among friends or taking on various leadership roles with the St. Louis Chinese Society or local Rotary Club, George enjoyed giving back regularly to the St. Louis community and his many friends.

George remained engaged and involved with his family and friends until several physical and illness set-backs slowed him down. Near the end, however, and as a voracious reader, the educator in him regularly appeared through his many interesting and cogently stated emails about global economic affairs, analyses of major historical events, and insights into geo-political conflict. At the end, he was quick to express his love and share his emotions. He was a true renaissance man with a loving and generous soul who overcame much adversity that affected too many of his generation.

Services for the family will be held privately.