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In early July the IAM lost a great leader when General Vice President George Hooper died unexpectedly in a hospital in Austin, Texas. "The trade union movement and working families around the world lost a tireless advocate and a fierce champion for workers' rights," said IP Tom Buffenbarger. "George Hooper was truly a respected and much-beloved officer of our union and, at all times, exemplified the highest ideals of a trade unionist," he added. Buffenbarger recalled that his keen sense of humor and joy of living made him a treasured personal friend as well as a colleague in union affairs. "He had a zest for living that inspired deep friendships," he said. "He will be greatly missed by all of us," said Buffenbarger. Hooper joined the IAM in 1966, when he was initiated into Local 126 in Freeport, Texas. He began as a Machinist apprentice and advanced to journeyman status three years later. Active in union affairs, he served as a shop steward and held almost every other local union office. In 1974, he became business representative in District 37. In 1981, he became an IAM special representative and was named a Grand Lodge representative two years later. In 1997 Hooper was nominated and elected as IAM General Vice President and directed the union's Southern Territory, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. He is survived by his wife, Shirley, two sons, Michael and Darrell, daughter, Michele, and her husband Chris, and their children, Micaela and Geoffrey, as well as his mother, Orene Hooper.
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