George Morris Dalrymple

George Morris Dalrymple was born on the 29^th November, 1934 to Margaret (Daisy) and Arthur Dalrymple in Derby, England.  The family moved to Scotland 2 years later.  George attended Kilmarnock Academy and the University of Glasgow where he graduated with BSc in Physics in 1956.

On graduation he moved to London and worked on missile development for the government.  In late 1960 he joined Ray Geophysics and spent the next 7 years in Libya.

In London in 1959 he met Joan Hart.  They got married in 1964 and moved to Tripoli.

After 5 years working on seismic crews in the Sahara desert, he was very fortunate to be selected to work as a programmer on the original IBM 360/40 that was installed in Tripoli to develop a digital seismic processing system.  He had found a new career!

With the downturn in Libyan exploration in 1966, he became a consultant programmer to Esso Libya.  Having decided to leave Libya in 1967 he was offered, and accepted, a position in Houston with Humble Oil & Refining Company.

He joined Humble in January of 1968 and spent the rest of his working career with Exxon companies in technical and management positions.  Their two daughters, Judy and Linda, were both born in Houston.

He enjoyed programming and, with his love of travel, assisting in setting up exploration computer systems for affiliates around the world from a base at Exxon Production Research.  There he worked with many, very talented people!  He also continued to have assignments at Exxon’s Exploration Processing Center.

He retired in December 1994.  In 1999 he and Joan moved to Steamboat Springs in the mountains of Colorado where, in addition to enjoying the beautiful scenery and weather, they skied and golfed.  With the love of hiking and back-packing he had developed in his 50’s, he made many interesting trips, including to the Everest Base Camp and the top of Mt Kilimanjaro.

He still found time to work.  In the winters he drove a shuttle for condominium units, taking guests to the ski slopes and out to dinner.  He also enjoyed working as a bailiff for the Colorado Judicial System where he had many interesting experiences.

In 2016, as they no longer skied, they moved back to Houston where they had many friends.  They continued to travel and to spend summer months in Steamboat.  With his wife and daughters by his side, George passed away peacefully on the 19^th October, 2023.

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Anyone who spent time with George quickly learned he was a One of a Kind!  He had striking blue eyes, a big personality, and always shared entertaining stories.  George had an inquisitive mind - continually learning new things, and in recent years became a budding artist.  He enjoyed playing cards, driving anywhere (fast), and had a passion for adventure.  He coached his girls’ soccer teams for years, and created wonderful family memories during many overseas trips and time together at Walden on Lake Conroe.  While living in Colorado, his dog Shadow rarely left his side.  

George will be greatly missed by Joan, his wife of 59 years, their daughters Judy (Paul) and Linda (Troy), grandchildren Riley and Leah, and his extended family and many friends around the world.

A Celebration of Life will be held in late November.   In lieu of flowers, a donation in memory of George could be made to Houston Hospice (www.houstonhospice.org) or Houston SPCA (www.houstonspca.org).