MEET THE FOUNDERS
George W. Guthrie (1923-2008)
President of the Westmoreland Club in 1969 and 1970.
A lifelong resident and prominent citizen of the Wyoming Valley, George Guthrie Conyngham was the scion of some of the first families of this area. A direct descendant of Colonel Zebulon Butler, he was born in Wilkes-Barre on October 31, 1923, the second son of William Hillard Conyngham (President of the Westmoreland Club 1918-1919) and Jessie Guthrie Conyngham. Beginning his education at the Wilkes-Barre Academy, he continued at Wyoming Seminary before transferring to the Hotchkiss School. Following in the tradition of his father and grandfather, Guthrie, matriculated to Yale University from which he graduated in 1945.
Devoted to his country, he left Yale to enlist in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 20. Serving on the Island of Guam from 1943 to 1945, an honorable ~ discharge was granted for service in World War II. His service continued in the Marine Corps Reserves, from which he was recalled to active duty in Korea. Severely wounded in 1951, after a long recovery, Guthrie was again discharged as a first lieutenant, receiving two Purple Hearts for wounds in combat. Having begun his career with Eastern Pennsylvania Supply Company after World War II, he remained active with W.H. Conyngham & Company, parent of Eastern Penn, Hillside Farms, Hillside Greenhouse and Hayfield Farms until his death. He served actively with the Middle Atlantic Wholesalers Association and the American Supply Association, overseeing its creation by the merger of the Central Supply Association and the American Institute of Suppliers Association. A strong believer in community service, our subject served on and provided distinguished leadership on numerous boards in the Wyoming Valley, including the United Way, Children's Service Center, Wilkes-Barre YMCA, Wyoming Valley Red Cross, Blue Cross of NEPA, Robert Packer Hospital, and VA Medical Center, to mention a few. His veterans affiliations included the Marine Corps League, Korean War Veterans, American Legion, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Guthrie was also a Mason, a member of Kiwanis, and a life member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. His love of the outdoors and the sport of fishing are manifested by his memberships in the North Mountain Club, the Atlantic Salmon Association, and the Hershey, Veazie and Miramichi Salmon Clubs of Maine. A committed family man, he married Corinne Gregory, a descendant of Peter Gregory, who was among the earliest settlers in Union Township, in July, 1951. Their marriage produced three sons, Donald G., Malcolm G. and George G., Jr. (President of the Westmoreland Club 2016-2017), who continue their father's leadership of W.H. Conyngham & Company, and a daughter, Thamsin C. Bowes, parents of his 11 grandchildren. Corinne passed away in 1981, and Guthrie married Shirley Marquart in 1984, who survives him.
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