SEVERNA PARK—George T. Cromwell ’53, a real estate developer from Anne Arundel County who was one of Washington College’s most loyal and generous alumni, died of cardiac arrest Thursday, July 16, 2015, one day after his 85th birthday. At the time of his death, he was a resident of Rock of Ages assisted living facility in Rock Hall, Maryland.  

Mr. Cromwell was the only son of Pauline and George T. Cromwell, Sr., a former State Senator, Collector of Customs at the Port of Baltimore, and Anne Arundel County Clerk of Circuit Court at the time of his death in 1962. 

George Cromwell, Jr. leaves behind his wife of nearly 60 years, Barbara Townsend Cromwell ’55. The couple met at Washington College in Chestertown, where George majored in economics and Barbara majored in history. George was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order; after graduation, he was named to the fraternity’s Court of Honor. The couple married July 31, 1955. 

Together, the Cromwells have generously supported capital projects at Washington College, including the renovation of William Smith Hall, construction of the Johnson Fitness Center, Goldstein Hall, Roy Kirby, Jr. Stadium, and the expansion of the Gibson Center for the Arts. Their most recent act of generosity is the leadership gift for construction of a new academic building on the Washington College campus. This facility, slated to open in the fall of 2016, will be the home of the Barbara and George Cromwell Center for Teaching and Learning. 

After graduating from Naval Officers Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, Mr. Cromwell served three years of active duty in the Navy and fifteen years in the Naval Reserve unit in Annapolis. In addition to being the President of Cromwell Farms, Inc., he was President of Rugby Hall Estates, Inc., a residential development in Anne Arundel County. He served on the Vestry of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in St. Margaret’s and was past president of The Southern Maryland Society, where he served on its board for many years. A former member of the Severna Park Rotary, he was named Citizen of the Year for outstanding contributions to the community of Ferndale in 1990. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Maryland Club in Baltimore and St. Martin’s In-the-Field Episcopal Church. 

A 1949 graduate of Severn School, Mr. Cromwell served there as a School Trustee. In addition to philanthropic gifts to Washington College, he also lent his support to the Anne Arundel Medical Center and Hospice of the Chesapeake. 

A memorial service will be held at St. Martin’s In-the-Field, 731 Benfield Road in Severna Park on Thursday, August 20, at 11 a.m.  The family will greet friends at the church an hour before the service.  A military burial will be held at sea. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Cromwell Center for Teaching and Learning, ℅ Barbara Heck, Washington College, 300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620.