George S. Haight, III (1944 - 2023)

The class has received word that George died last year on June 15, 2023. George came to Princeton from Pittsburgh and attended Mt. Lebanon HS. At Princeton, he majored in Biochemical Sciences, ate at Terrace, and participated in both the marching and concert band as well as the Triangle Orchestra. His roommates were Jeff McCollum, Bill Baine, Tim Smith, and Pete Brownrigg.

 

George went on to receive his MD degree from Temple Medical School and performed his residency in General Surgery in Louisville, KY. He was living in Casa Grande, AZ at the time of his death.

 

George's wife of 48 years, De Vona Haight, provided this tribute:

 

"George was an introverted, quiet man, someone who did good things for a lot of people but happy being as he was. He never stayed in touch with his Princeton friends or got very involved with Princeton, though we went to some Reunions and he stayed very involved with the band. It wasn't that he didn't like Princeton, it just wasn't his way to stay involved.
 
"George was an Air Force major and we lived in Cheyenne. Then moved to Laramie where he practiced as a general surgeon for 31 years until 2008. He had a solo practice so he was on call for all those years. He also went to Guatemala and Kenya to do charitable surgery; I'm a nurse and went with him to Guatemala also. He was the kind of person who would see that someone needed firewood and would just get some for them. Just a very kind and generous person.
 
"In 2015 he was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. We thought he had beaten it after treatment when in March 2023 it recurred and had spread everywhere. He went downhill from there. As he was about to go to hospice, all of our kids and grandkids came to Arizona from all over the country and we had a lovely family experience. He went into hospice and died five days later. He didn't want an obituary or a memorial service or a funeral. That's just the way George was.
 
"We were married for 48-and-a-half years, and we were very happy together."

Nassau Herald

50th Reunion Book

George S. Haight III
Address: Apt. 763, 1550 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80202-1602
Other address: 1440 N. Desert Willow St., Casa Grande, AZ 85122
Spouse: Devona Ann Haight; RN, CPC; RN, office manager
Children: Amy D.; Tracy A.; Carrie E.; George IV; Julie K.
Grandchildren: Grace, 2008; George V, 2011; Cooper, 2013; Frances, 2013
Graduate school: Temple Medical, MD, 1970; Louisville University, general surgery, 1975
Military: Maj., US Air Force, F E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, Wy., 1975-77

Activities: family, volunteer general surgery

Memories and Tributes

Tim Smith:

I was deeply saddened to hear the news that we have lost our classmate George Haight. He  and I were high school classmates from Pittsburgh, PA. His father, George S. Haight, Jr., graduated from Princeton, and I always knew in high school that he was headed there for college. He and I were roommates with the late Bill Baine in Laughlin Hall in our sophomore year at Princeton. He was a soft-spoken, authentic, and hard-working pre-med classmate with a very engaging sense of humor and a contagious chuckle. He loved sports and all kinds of music especially classical. He was a very talented musician and trombonist in the Princeton marching and concert band and orchestra.  
 
I never encountered George after Princeton. However, from classmates and other friends I learned that he had a successful career as a general surgeon. He was one of those classmates whom I thought I would surely encounter someday at a future class reunion. Sadly, it won’t happen. However, I am grateful to have been acquainted with him and his many virtues as a high school and Princeton classmate.

 

If you have additional photos or memories that you wish to share, please send them to the '66 Memorial Team (66_MemorialTeam@tiger1966.org). We will add them to this page.