Berkeley Remembers Former School President George Pennington, Jr.
On June 3, former Berkeley Preparatory School President George H. Pennington, Jr. passed away at the age of 85. Pennington, a former General Director for Hillsborough County Schools, is widely credited for his leadership at Berkeley during a very transformative time in the school’s history. Pennington was hired as president in 1973 to allow Headmaster Edgar T. McCleary to devote his full time to the school’s academic program.
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During his term as president from 1973-1979, Pennington and other school leaders led efforts to relocate the school from its Davis Islands location to the current campus on Kelly Road. He applied sound financial measures to reduce school costs and increased fundraising to support the faculty and programs of the school. He will be remembered for helping provide the school with financial stability. During his tenure at Berkeley, he helped to rejuvenate the school community through a fundraising campaign responsible for building the new campus that opened in 1978 with record attendance for that time. The Class of 1979 even dedicated their yearbook to Pennington for his “unwavering support of the school.”
Perhaps his greatest Berkeley legacy is that of his family. He and his wife Barbara’s children, Kyle ’81 and Karyn ’82, were the first generation to become Berkeley alumni. Kyle’s children, George ’14 and Charlie ’15, carried on the family’s legacy as Buccaneers.
The Berkeley community offers our deepest sympathy and prayers to the entire Pennington family.
Berkeley Preparatory School
Founded in 1960, Berkeley is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory day school located in Tampa, FL, for boys and girls in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. Approximately 1,400 students gather here from the greater Tampa Bay area to form ONE Berkeley.