George Goodwin Bean ’37 died on May 19, 2007, in Brunswick, Maine.

Born on March 27, 1915, in Belfast, Maine, he prepared for college at Brunswick High School and became a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity at Bowdoin, which he attended from 1933 to 1937. He also attended the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., and Harvard University. After selling stocks and bonds in Boston, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1945 in World War II. After operating diners in Freeport and Wiscasset for some years, he operated G. G. Bean, Inc. and other businesses in Brunswick, including Mike’s Place on Maine Street, Fort George Steakhouse (also on Maine Street), and Bean’s Diner on Pleasant Street.As an inventor, he patented a number of products through the years, beginning about 1960, and was granted many patents, including Print-O-Check, Skunk Kleen, and Dishwasher Kleen. He and his wife traveled throughout the world, and he had a great interest in railroads, steam engines, and machines. In 1952, he married Grace Knotts, who survives him, as do two daughters, Alice B.Andrenyak of Brunswick and the Reverend Janet Leighninger of Kennebunk, and two grandchildren.