The Club is sad to inform members of the death of alumnus George Justicz, Olympians and father of CUBC oarsmen Max and Nicholas Justicz.
Born Jiří Karel Justicz, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on December 27, 1931, George lived a remarkable and storied life, spanning decades, crossing continents, while creating indelible memories with his large family and sharing adventures with people from all walks of life.
His thick Czech accent, strong personality, questioning mind, unusual ideas, philosophical soul, eccentric footwear, and eclectic food choices were some of the qualities that endeared George to many, while perhaps alienating a few. He frequently offered comfort and indeed brought home refugees, hitchhikers, stray dogs, and strangers looking for a place to stay. His was a big heart.
George was a businessman, a civil engineer, a health-food store owner, an Olympic athlete, and a real estate developer. Above all, he was a loyal and devoted husband to Susan Elizabeth (née Lett), his wife of almost 63 years, and a hands-on, engaged, and supportive father to his children.
George spent his early years in Prague, living with his parents Alexander and Bozena Justicz, and his younger sister, Helen. In 1939, when his Jewish father fled the country to escape the encroaching war, George prematurely became the “man of the house,” and did his best to support his mother and sister. The trio remained in Prague throughout the occupation, enduring hunger, interrogation, and scenes of violence on the city streets, memories that would both define and haunt George throughout life.
In 1946, a full year after the close of the war, George, Helen, and Bozena were able to locate Alexander in Birmingham, to where they emigrated from Prague.
Arriving without speaking a word of English, George was almost immediately enrolled at school in Canterbury, an austere change for a 14-year-old Czech schoolboy. With his quick mind and sensitive nature, he thrived academically but struggled with feelings of belonging and abandonment. Nonetheless, with his academic success, he secured admission to Sidney Sussex, where he read civil engineering.
The challenges of his youth shaped George’s character into that of a motivated and tenacious fighter for the causes in which he believed, and for many years he found no greater cause than rowing. Channeling his fierce competitive nature, a willingness to explore any-and-all novel training techniques, and a permanent-chip-on-his-shoulder underdog spirit, George trained and willed himself to great heights in a relatively short time.
In 1959, George was first paired with a rival rower, Nicholas J. Birkmyre in a double scull. The two not only forged a dynamic double-sculling tandem, Birkmyre became a lifelong friend, undoubtedly George’s closest friend. Justicz & Birkmyre won Henley four times, earned a silver medal at the 1961 European Championship in Prague, represented Great Britain at the 1960 Rome Olympics, and much to their children’s amazement, briefly appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records.