Born on February 18, 1919, he was one of six sons born to a working class family in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He is remembered fondly by his niece Barbara Sando-Hynum as a great storyteller who enjoyed showing slides of his adventures.
George’s father passed away after he was in high school. George was very athletic and was a track star. After high school, George, who had always wanted to see what it was like to be a hobo, and a friend hopped a freight train to California. They had $40 between them, and they were afraid to speak with anyone on the trip for fear of being robbed. They chose California because George had a family member who was a successful contractor there. They worked in one of his sites for one single day doing masonry before trying their luck in Oregon.
He continued to live a wandering, unstructured life for a couple of years, waiting tables in California, then returning to Lebanon. There he married Matilda Bonanni, who was a music major. He enlisted in the Army during WWII and served in the South Pacific. It was after his time in the service that he decided to pursue a degree in engineering. The University of Miami enrolled a large number of students on the GI Bill, and George and Matilda decided to move to Miami. George enrolled in Electrical Engineering, and they ran a motel where they lived.
George and Matilda worked hard together to be successful. After George graduated, they traveled often, to Cuba and by car to every state in the nation. They liked the Yankees and the Eagles. George always worked in a sport coat, button down shirt, bow tie and trousers. The couple never had children, and Matilda pre-deceased George. When George passed away on March 5, 2017, his niece, Barbara, had him buried in his customary work outfit. To the mortician’s relief, she supplied a clip-on bow tie. The mortician had been concerned that no one at the funeral home would know how to tie a bow tie.
George remembered his alma mater and left an estate gift to the University of Miami in his will. The endowed “George G. Sando and Matilda Bonanni Sando Memorial Fund” will continue to provide a partial scholarship for a student in electrical engineering in perpetuity. His gift is an inspirational reminder that everyone can achieve dreams and make a difference in the lives of others.
