George Zebrun

In Memoriam

George Zebrun was born on January 21, 1923 to Rose (Kehart) Zebrun and Joseph Zebrun of Benld, Illinois. His birth was followed over a year later by that of his sister, Olga, and then two years later by the arrival of his younger brother, William. George grew up with his younger siblings in Benld, which at that time during the Coal Boom was a growing town^[1] with Slavic and Italian immigrants, many of whom worked in the local coal mines in Macoupin County.

George’s educational path was punctuated by service in the military during World War II. George entered the U.S. Marine Corps on April 17, 1943 (at age 20). His muster roll from July 1943 shows him in basic training in the Seventh Recruit Battalion at the Marine Recruit Depot in San Diego, CA. A muster roll from January 1944 places him with the Headquarters & Service Squadron of the 1st Marine Air Warning Group, 3rd Marine Air Wing, as part of the Fleet Marine Force (FMF) stationed at Cherry Point, North Carolina. The next muster roll in July 1944 shows that he was assigned to the MCAS Miramar in San Diego, where he was in Air Warning Squadron Seven and made a radar operator of the SCR-270 mobile long-range early warning radar. He later served in the South Pacific. He was released from active duty on May 9, 1946 at age 23, having served approximately 37 months^[2].

George then studied fish and wildlife biology at Southern Illinois University (SIU) at Carbondale, IL, and during the 1947-48 academic year attended SIU at the same time that his younger brother was studying there^[3]. George Zebrun is a graduate of SIU; he obtained a master’s degree.

George’s first marriage was to Marie Zeschke on June 20, 1948, with whom he had two sons and two daughters. He married Betty H. Havener on April 25, 1980. He worked from 1952 until 1992 for the state of Illinois in the Department of Conservation, most of those decades as a District Biologist in the Division of Fisheries (in later years he became more involved with the Wildlife division). During his tenure, he produced three printed books for the state on surface water resources^[4]. In July 1960 a newspaper also reported that George Zebrun was appointed science instructor and assistant football coach at Lincoln High School^[5], and he continued in these roles for four years^[8].

George's boundless energy, engaging social ease, and infectious sense of humor were recognized by the many people who knew him through his decades of work and travel in the field, his outdoor hobbies, and his social connections. These traits, combined with his extraordinary talents and skills in the fish and wildlife arenas, made him something of a legend in the Illinois outdoors community. Adding to this reputation was the story of how George, after becoming stranded on an island in the Mississippi at 64 years old, decided to swim "a couple of hundred yards" across the river to get help^[8]. Some descriptions of George have been posted online, such as the posts by Judd McCullum^[6], which capture a little of George's personality well. John Madson also mentions George a few times in his book about people and wildlife in the upper Mississippi^[7].

George was a member of many community groups, as listed in his obituary: Pittsfield American Legion Post 152, Pike County VFW Post 9513, Pike County Ducks Unlimited, Pike County Quails Unlimited, Pike County White Tails, Wild Turkey Federation, NRA, and Illinois Rifle Association. Even at 86 years of age, in the summer of 2009, he was helping out with a city-sponsored program at the King Park lagoon in Pittsfield, IL to teach people how to fish. A public announcement^[9] in summer 2009 noted that "George Zebrun, renowned local fisherman," would conduct the clinics.

George Zebrun passed away May 10, 2010 in Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, IL. Burial was in the Benld Cemetery.

Gallery

"George Zebrun" by Judd McCullum is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en). https://flic.kr/p/5E22yg