George and Jan Mallison have been married for 43 years, and live their lives in the quiet city of DeWitt; just outside of the State Capitol in Lansing. But George’s life hasn’t always been quiet, as he’s made many contributions to his Church, his nation and his career. George Mallison is a man who leads from the front, and is willing to be firm and decisive when he needs to be. He grew up in Lansing, MI, and attended Catholic schools until graduating from Lansing Everett High School.
After high school, George served our country for four years from 1961-65 as a member of the US Air Force during the Viet Nam War era, then served in the US Missile Command in Turkey, returned to Ft. Bragg, N. Carolina as a member of the Compositor Strike Force, and then finally, spent a year in the jungles of Thailand. Upon his return, he began a 36 year career at General Motors.
“At GM, I started work in the engineering/automotive area, then transferred to facility engineering for most of my career. I worked my way up from Jr. Engineer to Sr. Engineer, then Asst. Superintendent and finally Superintendent. By 2002, I had spent 36 years at GM.”
George Gets Involved at SLC
George was recruited to become a member of the SLC Community Advisory Council in 2004, and knows first-hand what it’s like to care for a family member with a disability.
“We have a daughter with physical disabilities who is confined to a wheelchair,” George explained, “So we know what it’s like to care for someone with a disability.”
“Our daughter Melodie has Muscular Sclerosis. She’s unable to walk, and has very little strength in her arms and legs. But she has her own home and works with a care giver. When we saw what was going on at St. Louis Center, we realized that these were some of God’s neediest people, and that’s how I got involved.”
George has been very involved with the Michigan Knights of Columbus and the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher. “I have been a member of the Knights of Columbus for 41 years, and eventually became the Vice Supreme Master of the 4th Degree. The Knights of the Holy Sepulcher is an organization committed to supporting Christians in the Holy Land.”
After 16 years as a member of the St. Louis Center Community Advisory Council, George thinks back to the beginning. “Back then there were a lot of issues with the facility that needed to be addressed, and I helped get things squared away with the maintenance department in 2004. By understanding the facility and the physical plant, I was able to help quite a bit with the construction of the new Administration building in 2011.”
Why Does George Support SLC?
George says that his faith is a large part of why he supports SLC. “I was always impressed with the work of the Servants of Charity and the work they do there, 24/7, and I felt I was in the presence of living saints. I’ve seen how society didn’t accept people with I/DD, so that turned us on to supporting them. We hope SLC continues to thrive, and that we can find benefactors who will help us to do all the things we need to do.”
