George was born March 24, 1932 on a farm in Nampa, Idaho, to Richard Victor and Minnie Edgecomb Keim.  George was the third of five children with an older brother and sister and a younger brother and sister.  His father was a lay minister and owned a meat packing company, "Keim's Best Ever", where all the kids worked part-time after school and during summers.  George went to Nampa High School where he did track (shot-put and discus), boxed for four years and played both ways on the football team: offensive tackle and defensive guard.

 

George earned a football scholarship to McPherson College in Kansas.  George excelled at football and was named "All Conference" all four years and Little All American his junior and senior years.  During his senior year, George was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, but chose instead to continue his education, remaining at McPherson teaching physical education, coaching track and football, where his younger brother was playing.  George left McPherson after three years and accepted a position at Bridgewater College in Virginia as head football coach where he remained until 1965. 

 

George came to Fairfax County as an assistant football coach at Fort Hunt High School.  In 1966 he went to West Springfield High as the Head Football Coach while moonlighting as a butcher, and in 1970 became Director of Guidance.  He went to the area office in 1976 as Assistant to the Area Superintendent and was there until he became principal of Chantilly High School in 1984; from there he retired in 1990.  After retirement, he worked until 2010 as a fill-in principal in over 15 different schools in the Northern Virginia Area. 

 

After joining NVADACA he held the president's office for two years (1998-2000) and chaired the annual Golf Tournament for over ten years.  George has two daughters, two sons, 12 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. George passed away in 2021.  Sandy, his wife of 40 years, continues to be active in the lives of students, working part-time for NVADACA and for George Mason University.  As a measure of esteem and respect for his many years contributing to the lives of students, NVADACA is pleased to offer a scholarship in the name of George Arnold Keim.