GEORGE HAMMEN BRACELAND

BRACELAND, GEORGE HAMMEN, on June 10, 2010, of The Saunders House, a long-term-care center in Wynnewood, where he had lived for three years, formerly of Drexel Hill, Pa. Beloved husband of the late Evelyn M. Braceland (nee Grabarczyk). Dear father of John G. Braceland (Linda), Pam A. Kaplan (Daniel) and Diane E. Vruegdenhil (Darrell). Loving brother of Bill Braceland and the late J. Frank Braceland and Marguerite Nussbaum. Also survived by 8 grandchildren and one great grandchild. Relatives and friends are invited to attend George's life celebration on Monday Evening from 6 to 8 P.M. and Tuesday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. at SPENCER T. VIDEON OF DREXEL HILL, Garrett Rd. at Shadeland Ave. , followed by his Mass of Christian Burial at 11 A.M. at St. Bernadette Church, 1053 Turner Avenue, Drexel Hill, Pa 19026. Int. Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be sent to St. Bernadette Church.

Published in Philadelphia Enquirer

George was an Air Force Photo Mapping Association Life Member, and held the title Oldest Photomapper(Born 09/22/13)for the last six years.

 George was born in Philadelphia and finished his formal schooling at the Drexel Institute of Technology in 1938. During his school years he participated in just about every sport known to man including equestrian jumping. He also learned to fly during this period and obtained his private pilot's license. Following graduation he went to work for Braceland Brothers-the family printing business started by his father and an uncle.

 In 1942 he was drafted into the Army Air Corps and received his technical training as a Geodetic Computations Specialist. While receiving this training he rose in rank from Private to buck Sergeant in just two months. During his three and a half years in the Service, he was assigned operationally to the 7th Geodetic Control Squadron whose missions were to establish surveyed ground control for aerial photography and compile maps using the collected imagery. His most memorable deployment was a nine-month stint in Chile in 1945. There, in addition to his computational duties in Santiago, he also served as an astronomic observer at remote ground sites. Because of his skill at playing bridge, he was frequently asked to play with three Chilean General Officers and a former President of Peru. Also serving with the 7th at that time was George's brother, William, who is a member of the AFPMA. His devotion to physical fitness continued during his Service years and he won a "Most Physically Fit Soldier" competition at Tampa in 1944. George separated from the Service in 1946.

 He returned to the family business after his separation from the Army. He eventually took over the company and under his leadership it grew from a 10 person, one location business into one of 500 people at five locations throughout the U.S. He sold the business in 2002.

 At age 50, a friend introduced him to the Amateur Athletic Union's (AAU) Masters Track & Field Program. This rekindled his competitive urges and he immediately began training. His first competition was a Boston Marathon, and he continued competition in a variety of events and venues. In his 40 years in this program he had competed in Masters' events all over the world, and the multitude of awards mentioned previously have resulted. His proudest moment came when he was inducted into the USA Track & Field Masters Hall of Fame in 2001. He has a beautiful commemorative wall plaque with his bust on it hanging right above our trophy in his entry hall.

"After work," The Inquirer's Art Carey reported in 2002, "he'd run two laps around the river-drive loops, about 18 miles.

At 65, he earned a black belt in karate.

When Carey visited him for the 2002 story, he wrote that Mr. Braceland, at age 88, "dropped to the kitchen floor and did 10 push-ups - clapping his hands between reps."

In the 1970s, he joined the Malta Boat Club on Boathouse Row and in 2004 "was the indoor rowing heavyweight champion for age 90."

27 MAY 2010