Ingalls, Longest Serving Trustee of Power Authority, Dies at 86
Contact Jack Murphy (914) 390-8198 murphy.j@nypa.gov
April 11, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BINGHAMTON—George L. Ingalls, a New York Power Authority (NYPA) trustee for 23 years until his retirement in 1990, died Tuesday at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton. He was 86.
"George Ingalls is one of the giants of Power Authority history," said Joseph J. Seymour, chairman and chief executive officer of NYPA. "When he was first named to the board, only the Niagara and St. Lawrence hydro projects were in operation. By the time he retired, the Power Authority was the largest state-owned public power organization in the U.S., operating 11 power plants and 1,400 miles of transmission lines."
Ingalls was appointed to the board by Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller in 1967, and his 23 years as a NYPA trustee—17 years as vice chairman—is a record. His lengthy tenure was recognized in 1991 when the powerhouse at the Power Authority's Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project in Schoharie County was named for him.
Then-chairman Richard M. Flynn, at the dedication ceremony, said, "Today, George, you join the immortals of Power Authority history—Franklin Roosevelt, Robert Moses, James FitzPatrick and Charles Poletti. Your name now adorns the powerhouse of the project that you envisioned and later helped bring to reality, Blenheim-Gilboa."
Eugene W. Zeltmann, president and chief operating officer of the Power Authority, said, "All of us at NYPA are aware of George Ingalls' years of dedicated service and we are grateful for the huge strides the organization made during his tenure on the board."
Ingalls was born in Danielson, Conn., on June 7, 1914. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Amherst College in 1935 and magna cum laude from Syracuse University Law School in 1939. Before receiving his law degree, he spent a year as a high school teacher.
He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1952 as a Republican and was named majority leader in 1961. He became minority leader in 1965 and chose not to seek re-election in 1966.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Dorothy Joggerst Ingalls, of Binghamton; three sons, Bryan W. of Chevy Chase, Md., Robert G. of Binghamton, and John S. of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif; one daughter, Janety Ingalls VanDine of Binghamton; and eight grandchildren.
The family will receive friends at the J.A. McCormack Sons Funeral Home, 141 Main Street, Binghamton, on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be held at the funeral home at 11 a.m., Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that expressions of sympathy in memory of George L. Ingalls be made to Lourdes Hospital Foundation. 169 Riverside Drive, Binghamton, or any charitable organization.
