George Curtiss was a man characterized by mental alertness and farseeing enthusiasm in every program which promoted civic progress, with an especial interest in the betterment of El Paso's educational institutions. At the time of his death on May 2, 1946, he had been a continuous member of all the local Masonic bodies for about fifty-five years, and of the Eastern Star since its organization. He was a charter member of the El Paso Golf Club and the old El Paso Commercial Club, and a leader in each. He was always one of the best boosters of the Fair, and served for years as secretary of the El Paso District Agricultural Board, a position of much detail work and responsibility.
Mr. Curtiss was an early automobile owner and pioneered the good roads movement which followed the general acceptance of motor transportation. He was one of the first in the state to oil roads to eliminate the dust hazard and make a surface which would turn the water and thus eliminate the deep mud on dirt roads. He was a member of the committee which marked the old Corn Belt Trail, now U. S. Highway 24, across the state of Illinois. Before the numbering system was adopted, he and the others drove across the state nailing up signs with an ear of corn on them to mark this first trail of its kind in our area.
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