George J. Kneeland*

George Kneeland was born in New York City in 1916 and spent most of his life in Harrington Park, New Jersey. His father, a sociological investigator, died when Kneeland was five years old. His mother worked in a nursery school and later at schools for the physically and mentally disabled.

Kneeland had various jobs as a youth, including one making deliveries for a bakery. He also volunteered many hours with the local fire department. After graduating from high school, he was a clerk for two years, and then he got a job as an office boy for the St. Regis Paper Company. At St. Regis, he rose through the ranks to become chairman of the board in 1972 and chairman of the executive committee in 1975.

For two years, Kneeland served as a specialist in damage control in the U.S. Navy's Firefighters Group. He was a community firefighter, chief, and president of the Harrington Park Fire Department for more than 25 years.