George Steve Kadera

George entered this world weighing in at almost 11 pounds in an apartment above a dry goods store on West 19th Street in the Heights located in Houston, Texas. The nickname "Big George" came about early on due to his large size at birth.
His early childhood was spent going to the icehouse to pick up twenty-five pound blocks of ice for the family icebox and playing games with the neighborhood children such as "wood tag", "hide and seek", and "red rover". Rubber band guns were popular at the time too. Some of George's more adventurous escapades included hooking rides on the back of neighborhood street cars for short rides and hitching rides on freight trains that ran about a block away from his residence. Time was also spent listening to radio programs such as the Orson Wells Show and Dick Tracy.
Earning money as a youngster consisted of delivering grocery store circulars all day for fifty cents and selling newspapers on Saturday nights in the West 19th strip center which consisted of a movie theater, small shops, stores, and restaurants.
George attended Cooley Elementary, Hamilton Junior High, and Reagan Senior High Schools. His participation in various athletic events at Carter City Park with older boys led to his participation in sports at school. He played football, basketball, and fast pitch softball while attending Hamilton Junior High. While at Reagan Senior High he was an all-city football and basketball player, and became shotput and discus champion in the state.
George served in the Army Air Corps as an airplane and engine mechanic and pre-flight instructor on then B17, B24, A29, A6, A20, B26, P47, P51, C46, and C47 aircraft. What a thrill that was for a 20 year old! He also played football, fast pitch softball, and threw the shotput and discus while in the service.
George received an athletic scholarship from Texas A & M College where he was on the football squad for three years and on the track squad for four years. In his freshman year he won awards in the shotput, discuss, and javelin. During his track career he won more Southwest Conference championships than any other athlete; four in the discus, two in the shotput, and one in the javelin. George was an All American in the discus in 1948 and had the second longest discus throw in the world. George was inducted into the Texas A & M Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco, Texas in February 2011.
George earned a B.S. from Texas A & M University. He earned an M. Ed. And Ed. D. from the University of Houston.
He began his professional career teaching and coaching junior and senior high school students in the Houston Independent School District. George advanced into administration within the school district first as an assistant principal and then special assistant to the Superintendent of HISD. In 1950 George married Elsie Dvorak. In September 1966 he moved his family to McKinney, Texas upon accepting the position of Center Director for the Job Corps for Women. He returned to Houston in September of 1977 to fill the position at Houston Community College as acting director of Student Development and later became director of Personnel Services. In 1991 he was appointed associate vice chancellor for Human Resources; a position he held until his retirement in 1992.
George has a lifetime of service to community and professional associations. He was a member of the Heights Rotary Club in Houston and also the McKinney Rotary Club serving as District Governor in 1995. He founded the Collin County 100 Club and served on the Historical Board of the City of McKinney. He was an active member of St. Peters Episcopal Church since 1966.
George is survived by his wife, Elsie, of 64 years; four children, Karolynn Sawyer of Round Rock, Texas, George Kadera, Jr. of McKinney, Texas, Frances Vaughan of Van Alstyne, Texas, and Alisha Grubbs of McKinney, Texas; nine grandchildren; and four great grandchildren.
Services will be held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 400 North College Street, McKinney, Texas 75069, date and time pending. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to St. Peter's Episcopal Church.