George Rice III, 93; Athlete and Uplifters Club Pioneer

George Rice III, a longtime Palisadian and the last surviving member of the Uplifters Club, died on December 25. He was 93. Born on October 29, 1910 in Alhambra, Rice graduated from Alhambra High School and from Caltech in mechanical engineering in 1931. He then moved to the old family weekend cabin in Rustic Canyon built in 1921 by his grandfather George Rice Jr., where he lived from 1932 until his death. Grandfather Rice “discovered” Rustic Canyon in 1900 while on a horse and buggy ride, and persuaded the newly formed Uplifters Club to locate its clubhouse there in 1918. The building burned down and the 1924 version has since become the Rec Center building in Rustic Canyon Park.?? From 1931 until after 1990, Rice worked in Los Angeles at George Rice and Sons, Printers as a printing salesman. During World War II, he was a war worker at Alcoa Aluminum in Vernon, and in Liferaft plastics survival gear production in Hollywood. He was once president of the Printing Industries of America Association and pushed hard to get its new office built in Los Angeles. He also was responsible for the building of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Santa Monica, in 1964. A sportsman all his life, Rice played tennis at the Uplifters Club and swam in the pool there. He was tennis champion in 1948 at the Racquet Country Club, the successor to the Uplifters Club. He loved to ski and was still going down the slopes in Aspen/Snowmass when he was 90 years old. He also enjoyed belonging to Toastmasters for many years. A scoutmaster of Troop 2 in Santa Monica, Rice hiked up the backside of Mt. Baldy with the scouts and skied down for miles in 1938. He loved to kayak surf, which he was still doing when he was 91, and was a pioneer in the sport in Hawaii. After he retired, he spent considerable time in Honolulu every summer. He was married for over 60 years to Onis D. Rice, an artist and teacher, now deceased. He is survived by his dear friend Louella Begley; daughter Kristina M. Nugent of Carlsbad; and son Tim G. Rice, who still lives in Rustic Canyon. No services have been scheduled.