An outstanding three-sport athlete at Cortland, George J. McCabe '55 enjoyed a distinguished career as a decorated U.S. Naval aviator and as a civic-minded, high school instructor of naval science.
McCabe grew up in New Paltz, N.Y. He earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from SUNY Cortland and a master's degree in education from Pepperdine University.
An exceptional collegiate athlete, McCabe lettered for three years in soccer, basketball and baseball at Cortland. He was an all-state soccer halfback as a junior and senior and was honorable mention All-American in his final year. He received the coveted Beta Phi Epsilon Sports King Award.
McCabe enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was selected for the Aviation Officer Cadet Program. Since earning his aviator wings in 1957, he has logged more than 5,300 hours of flight time.
Between 1956 and his retirement from the Navy in 1977, McCabe had an illustrious career. He was an air traffic control officer in Brunswick, Maine, then the executive officer and navigator of the flagship for the commander of the U.S. Middle East forces. Between 1966-68, he flew P-3 missions in the Western Pacific and Vietnam.
After serving as a flight instructor and advanced training officer in Corpus Christi, Texas, McCabe returned to flying missions in the Pacific and Vietnam with the Fleet Air Wing Ten out of the Philippines. He became officer-in-charge of the Philippines-based Patrol Wing One Detachment from 1972-75. He returned stateside and closed out his military career as an associate professor of naval science and executive officer of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Command at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
McCabe was awarded the U.S. Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation by the Secretary of the Navy for his contributions in the recovery of the captured merchant ship, USS Mayaguez, from the Cambodians in the Gulf of Siam. During his career, he also earned three Navy Commendation medals, an Air Medal, four Meritorious Unit Citations, two Navy Unit Citations, five stars in his Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Philippine Presidential Citation and the National Defense Ribbon with one star.
From 1977-96, McCabe was the naval science instructor at Little Miami High School in Morrow, Ohio. He managed the Anti-Drug program and, for 15 years, administered both the "Toys for Tots" program at Christmas and the school district's "Neediest Kids of All" program which provided food and clothing for underprivileged children. He started men's soccer at the high school and won two league titles. He was also the Outstanding Coach of the Year in tennis.
Within the community, he coached the boys' baseball and basketball teams and has been an active member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. For two years, he was appointed executive director of the Youth Awards Program for the 8th Congressional District. He is currently a U.S. Tennis Association-Midwest top-ranked 65 year-old age group singles and doubles player.
McCabe and his wife, Barbara Grubbs '55, have four children: Lynne, Jennifer, George and Kathy; and four grandchildren.
