George, a native Coloradoan, developed a love for the outdoors as he worked on ranches owned by his father and his uncle.  He learned to ski in 1913, at the age of 29.

          George served as campaign manager for Denver Mayor Ben Stapleton.  Following Stapleton's election in 1935, George became manager of the city's parks and recreation system and earned the nickname, "The Pericles of Denver".  His accomplishments include Red Rocks Theater, the routes of the Valley Highway and the Boulder "Turnpike", purchase of the land for Stapleton Airport, and the Williams Fork Water Tunnel.

          In 1935, he conceived the idea for Winter Park and purchased the necessary land for the Denver parks system, claiming that "Colorado has millions of dollars ready for taking...I'm not referring to gold or silver, but our natural resources- an area for a wonderful winter playground."  Because of criticism and shortage of funds he recruited volunteers to build the first trails.  After the opening of Winter Park in 1940, he continued to supervise its operations for several years.

          Cranmer Trail at Winter Park is a memorial to this pioneer ski area developer.