I found him! George Scott, Jr. and I go back a long way. We were Toastmasters in District 27 in the late 80’s and early 90’s. He was dedicated and could always liven up a group. George retired a few years ago and he and Margaret, his wife, moved back to New Orleans and opened a Bed and Breakfast.
I sent George an email–it was returned–old address. I called Toastmasters International to see if they had word. Nothing. I sent an email to the address they had. It came back–out-of-date. I contacted the current leaders in the Washington, DC area–our old stomping grounds. Nothing. I dialed his phone numbers The home phone rang and rang–no answer. Of course, not. They either got out early or were in an evacuee center somewhere. I dialed his business number and it was not in service. I searched the msnbc.com “saved” list. Nothing. Then I posted his and Margaret’s names on the “looking for someone” list.
I was getting more and more worried. George is a good guy. He would help anyone he could and I was afraid that goodness might have gotten him into a situation he couldn’t free himself from. I thought of contacting law enforcement in the area–well, I was getting desperate. I began to look for a photo to post on the web and then I thought I’d try his phone again. Home phone: No answer. Business phone: “Hello.” I almost fell out of my chair!
“George–is that you George?” “Yes ?” This is Jo!”
He and Margaret left New Orlens early Sunday morning. George had been working out of town and returned with barely enough time to get ready and get on the road. I later called him back to see what magic he had worked to get his business phone working. “Nothing to it, Jo. The business number is my cell phone and I had the phone company reroute it to Monroe, LA.”
