A memorial service for retired SIU Vice President West Coast George McCartney took place March 26 in Piney Point, Md. He was laid to rest at the Seafarers Haven cemetery.McCartney died March 19 in San Francisco. He was 72.
“I go back a long way with this union,” SIU President Michael Sacco said at the memorial service. “I’ve never known anyone who was more dedicated to the SIU than George. I always thought that if someone had X-rayed his heart, they’d see a ship’s wheel with the words Brotherhood of the Sea.”
McCartney began sailing with the SIU at age 17, in 1948. He took part in every one of the union’s major campaigns from then on.
He served for 17 years as vice president of the union’s West Coast region before retiring in 1998. He remained very active with the union and the industry even in retirement. The day before his death, McCartney attended the March membership meeting in San Francisco.
A more complete remembrance will be published in the May issue of the Seafarers LOG.
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