George McGowan, 25, ‘lived life to the fullest’

By Mike Caputo

George McGowan, graduate of the Class of 2005 and a renowned leader within the Rider community, passed away at Virtua Hospital in Mount Holly on July 21.

McGowan, 25, suffered from health problems from the time he was diagnosed with diabetes at six years old. Pat McGowan, George’s mother, said her son was constantly in and out of the hospital for infections, which were complications of the diabetes.

“We used to laugh about the fact that we hit almost every hospital in the Central and South Jersey area and even other places,” said Pat McGowan. “It was just a way of life for us: going to the emergency room or calling 9-1-1 to come. You get to a point where it doesn’t really faze you.”

Because of the frequency of infections, George’s immune system was weakened severely to the point where he couldn’t fight off disease. It took its toll on his entire body, said Pat McGowan.

George’s condition, originally classified in March, was known as clostridium difficile (c-diff). According to the Clostridium Difficile Support Group web site, the condition affects people who consistently take antibiotics. The immune system is weakened because most “good” bacteria gets reduced to a low number. In effect, treatments made his condition worse.

“He picked up the infection that you get in the hospital and that’s the one I think really did the damage,” said Pat McGowan. “It was devastating — he lost 30 pounds in a two-week period. He just never recovered fully from that.”

George went back to the hospital in July, which turned out to be his last week. Although he was not classified with c-diff when he went back to the hospital in July, it may have led to his downfall, said George’s mother. After a stint on dialysis and surgery to remove a couple of organs, he ended up on life support. Then Pat and Kristin McGowan, George’s sister, had to make the inevitable decision.

“After they exhausted every test imaginable trying to find some miracle, there was no other option,” said Pat McGowan. “Then Kristin and I had to make the decision to turn the machine off.”

George, who entered Rider at age 22 after spending time in the workforce, was heavily involved with the University. He was a major contributor to the Residence Hall Association (RHA), Student Government Association (SGA) and the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). Even though he was a resident during his tenure at Rider, he also lent a hand to the Association of Commuting Students (ACS) and served as a mentor for Sanda students.

When George wasn’t running around and helping out other clubs and organizations, he was starting his own. According to his mother and sister, George was a key founder of the Achieving Language Fluency in Spanish (ALFS) club.
Furthermore, George was never afraid to speak his mind when necessary. He was always a visible member of Senate meetings and the food committee. George’s input factored into numerous student improvements on campus including additional parking on campus and the renovations at Cranberry’s.

“Within a month of him being here, he knew everybody,” said Kristin McGowan, currently a Rider graduate student. “I had already been here for two years — I was a junior when he entered. Aside from the few people I knew very well, they were just like: ‘Oh, you’re George’s sister.’ I am like ‘Wait, I’ve been here longer.’ That was true everywhere we went.

“He was only 25 and he lived life to the fullest,” she said. “He was just George and he did it his way. You either loved him or hated him. There really was no in-between with him. In his short 25 years, he lived more than most people do in a lifetime.”
George is survived by his mother Pat McGowan and sister Kristin McGowan; maternal grandparents Donald and Vivian Parnell; Aunt Sally Parnell and Uncle Mike Parnell; and cousins Megan and Mike Parnell.

A scholarship has been created in George’s name. Contributions can be sent to: Office of University Relations, Rider University, 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, Attn: George E. McGowan, III Memorial Scholarship Fund. Checks should be made out to Rider University with George E. McGowan Scholarship Fund written in the memo.