Inducted: November 28, 1990
William G. McGeorge was so respected as an authority on farm drainage that he was consulted by the province when revisions were made to the Farm Drainage Act.
His vast knowledge was understandable. From earliest childhood he had heard about drainage from his father, William G. McGeorge Sr., who was a pioneer in the conversion of boggy Kent County land into some of Canada's most productive farms. The senior W. G. McGeorge was commissioned as an Ontario Land Surveyor in 1865 and died while surveying Walpole Island in 1906.
His son chose the same career, and soon established a reputation as a hard worker. For many years, he was the only surveyor in the Chatham area doing legal surveys and he developed a large practice. One obituary noted that in this, as in everything he did, he was meticulous, careful and accurate."
Mr. McGeorge served as Township Engineer for Dover and Chatham for almost 60 years. Townships in Lambton County, Perth County and York County appointed him their drainage engineer; and he served as drainage consultant for the Holland Marsh Drainage Scheme, near Bradford, for over 20 years.
His profession gave him honours and recognition. Mr. McGeorge was president of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors in 1925, and was appointed to the Board of Examiners in 1948, serving as a lecturer in drainage law and drainage engineering. He was Honorary Vice-President of the Association until his death.
Mr. McGeorge's service to his community was not just to agriculture. He was a member of the Chatham Suburban Road Commission for over 40 years; and a member of Chatham Water Commission and its Chairman for most of the period from 1923 on.
It was one of life's satisfactions to W. G. McGeorge that two sons, Donald and David, followed the careers chosen by their father and grandfather.
One tribute, expressed by his contemporaries, after his death following a traffic accident was: "Mr. McGeorge was a tireless worker and established an unattainable record, by today's standards, for municipal work. His work, in which he excelled, was his life's pleasure."