George Haines Dies At 64


July 22, 2008

George E. Haines Jr., 64, of Gladwyne, Pa., died on July 16 of pneumonia at Cathedral Village in Roxborough, Pa.

A retired teacher and coach, Haines was a two-time winner of the N.J. Amateur (1968 and '79)  and also qualified to play in the U.S Open at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y. At that time he was the only player to win the N.J. Amateur in match and stoke play. He also played in 20 Canadian Amateurs and seven British Amateurs. 

Haines was known in USGA circles as an accomplished player (10 U.S. Amateurs and the one Open) and talented writer. From the mid 1970s until the 1990s he authored The Golf School historical section of the Golf Journal , which at one time served as the USGA's official publication. Haines also wrote USGA Championships Held At Merion .

Born on Aug. 8, 1943, Haines grew up in Far Hills, N.J., and belonged to Somerset Hills Country Club and Merion Golf Club. He was a math teacher and coached six sports from 1976 until he retired in 1989 from The Haverford School in Merion, Pa. He coached the 1982-83 Squash team to a National Title. He and his team share a place in the Haverford School Athletic Hall of Fame.

"He loved golf, he loved squash. He was just a great coach," his wife of 31 years, Elizabeth, told the Philadelphia Inquirer .

Haines was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and qualified in the NCAA championships in both golf and squash before earning a degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business in 1965.

He is survived by his wife Elizabeth, a son, George, and a grandson. In addition to his wife and son, Haines is survived by his parents, Audrey and Robert Johnson; two sisters and a brother.

Services and burial are private.

Memorial donations may be made to the Center for Neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital, 301 S. Eighth St., Suite 4B, Philadelphia 19107.