Had it not been for a flat tire, San Bernardino might have missed knowing George Harold Schnarre and been denied the ongoing example of his life,  work, and generosity.
 
Far from the "land of milk and honey" where he would earn prominence and financial success, George H. Schnarre was born into the poverty-stricken, desperate, and often violent world of the early 1930s Missouri sharecropper. The family's tiny farm was in High Hill off Highway 40 about seventy-five miles southwest of St. Louis. When he was seven, the family headed out on Route 66 toward California and got as far as San Bernardino before their last tire blew and they decided they were home.

His first foray into entrepreneurship happened at 16 when he opened "George's Malt Shop." After joining the Navy to fight in the Korean War, he returned to San Bernardino to work in the grocery business, before venturing into real estate, opening George H. Schnarre Real Esate in 1969.

Over the years, as he built his business, he also built a solid reputation for fairness with a deep commitment to the community. George is a former director and past president of the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce. He has been an active participant and officer of many Inland Empire organizations, including the East San Bernardino Valley Planning Commission, the County Council Selection Committee, the Pacific High School Scholarship Committee, the Executive Committee of the Boy Scouts of America, the Inland Empire Chapter of the American Heart Association, the Civic Center Building Authority, the San Bernardino Valley College Foundation board and the advisory board to the Dean of Business at Cal State University of San Bernardino. He has earned honors for his work from organizations including the League of Women Voters, the U.S. Air Force, and Rotary North.

Though he sold his real estate agency in 1996, he remains active, serving on the Public Safety Authority, Patton State Hospital Advisory Board, and the San Bernardino Medical Center board. He is also on the Highland Municipal Advisory Council and a founding director of the San Bernardino Valley Humane Society, where he has played a key role in creating its new $4 million veterinary hospital.

At St. Bernardine we have been honored to have the benefit of George's business acumen, his common-sense approach to challenges, his hard work and his generosity. He has been a generous supporter of many projects at St. Bernardine over the years and has established a trust to benefit St. Bernardine Medical Center Foundation. He and wife, Claudia, have recently made a substantial pledge for which the new Dining Room in the Convent will be named in their honor. 

George H. Schnarre continues to make an indelible mark on our lives, and we are grateful to him for sharing so much of his life and success with others.