Remembering George Kurz
We at Bikes for the World were incredibly sad to learn we lost Dr. George Kurz at the end of 2023. But we were blessed to have his support over the years and to call him a friend.
George Kurz studied ophthalmology and subsequently became the Director of Ophthalmology at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, NJ at the beginning of his practice. He went on to become a professor at several medical schools and served as a consultant at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. He took his expertise around the world to Africa, Asia and South America where he assisted with eye care and taught specific procedures.
During his travels he visited rural communities and saw the value bicycles could bring. When he returned home he began working in his own community to collected used bicycles for use overseas. He crossed paths with Keith Oberg who continued working with him after he formed Bikes for the World in 2005. Keith would regularly visit George and his wife Elisabeth when in the area, either professionally or personally.
While George and Elisabeth lived at Pennswood Village, they hosted half a dozen collections with BfW and just before George 'retired' from the bike collecting business he just managed to squeeze Pennswood into our elite 1k Club....George ended with a total of 1,003 bikes donated to our program. But truthfully he didn't stop. He would still end up with a bike or sewing machine for us even in recent years when Harry Betz took over collecting bikes at his shop Newtown Bikes. In fact the last time Taylor dropped by Harry's shop for bikes, George dropped in to say Hi.
For Yvette, connecting with George throughout the pandemic brought a highlight to a challenging, dim time.
After my first email to check on him he picked up the phone to confirm I was who I said I was :) We continued to stay in touch sharing stories about how the covid lockdowns were affecting life and business. He talked often about his family, especially his grandchildren. And we would share our latest reading lists including The Splendid and the Vile and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Oh, and of course, Something in Return: Memoirs of a life in Medicine by Dr. George Kurz, which was published in 2020. George was always considering topics for his next book and would send snippets of writing he was currently working on. And he would also send an occasional joke, with the answer hidden down below. Like, "Do you know why it is said that the eye is the last part of the body to die?" I just finished reading The River of Doubt and wanted to share this great read with George...but you know what, he probably already read it!
Keith also reflected back on his relationship with George:
George Kurz was a man of generous community service all his life. I was privileged to work with him only during his post-professional life, but came to understand that his service work was only a continuation of a life's commitment. His commitment to service was not shallow, narrow, short-term. Rather, he gave sustained commitment, generous time, and integrity with a commitment to challenging himself and his collaborators to always do what is right, and do it better. Above all, he was practical. On so many levels, his charity and service extended to the whole world.
Both George and Elisabeth will be missed at Bikes for the World. Picking up bikes in Newtown won't be the same without a surprise visit from George in his trademark hat. We will continue the work they believed in and continued to support year after year. George enjoyed our quarterly updates about how the programs were impacting people around the world and we will continue to change lives in memory of both George and Elisabeth. And we will give George the last laugh (eye jokes of course):
Because the pupils die late.
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