George Halkiades was born January 15, 1942 in Kingsport, Tennessee to Phellos and Theodora Halkiades, Turkish immigrants of Greek descent. After graduating from Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport in 1959, George went on to attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on scholarship as a football equipment manager. He was involved in service from an early age as president of the Letterman’s Club, in addition to being a member of the student council and several other campus organizations. In 1963, he earned his BS in Electrical Engineering and came to work for Phillips Petroleum in Research and Development.  Five years later he joined Applied Automation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Phillips Petroleum.

In 1968, George married Jeannette Louise Evans. Their son, Vincent, born in 1971.  currently lives in Claremore. Jeanne passed away in 2004. For forty years, George continued to work for Applied Automation and its successor companies—Hartmann & Braun, Elsag Baily, ABB and Siemens. He retired in 2003 as Plant Manager.

Serving Bartlesville in a myriad of ways, “George has lived and worked in this community for many years and is a ‘quiet person making a loud noise,’” notes Debbie Mueggenborg, Foundation board member. “He’s someone who gives of his time and expertise, and citizens of all ages in this community have enjoyed the fruits of his labors.”

George was heavily involved in American Legion Baseball from 1993 to 1999, serving in various capacities as treasurer and a tournament director.  Following his retirement in 2003, George’s involvement in community service intensified. He served on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bartlesville and Oklahoma for six years each and currently is a member for their finance, program and operations committees. For over ten years, George has served as a Bartlesville Library Literary Services tutor, and he has been the Lead mentor of youth Robotics Team 2165 since 2007.  For eight years he has served on the United Way Community Investment Committee including as chair for 2015 and 2016. Currently, George serves as Vice Chairman of the Tri County Tech Board of Education, Secretary/Treasurer of Bartlesville Rotary Club, President of Bartlesville Public Library Board, Vice Chairman of Lowe Family Young Scholars program, and Secretary of the Friends of the Library board. He is the current President of Friends in Deed, an organization that holds an annual Christmas Day dinner for the community.