George G. Mader (M.EERI 1987) passed away on July 28, 2022; it was his 93rd birthday. In his remarkable six-decades long career, George was widely recognized for his extensive work in integrating geologic hazards information with land-use planning. He pioneered the development of slope-density zoning and the transfer of development credits, both of which have been used widely in geologically hazardous and environmentally sensitive communities across California and beyond. For his leadership in this area, George was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2003 and received Distinguished Leadership Awards from the Northern Section and California Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) in 2010. For his contributions to the field of earthquake risk reduction, George was awarded EERI's Alfred E. Alquist Special Recognition Medal in 2013 and, in 2011, he was invited to have his Oral History recorded, one of EERI’s highest honors (see Connections: The EERI Oral History Series, Vol. 22: George G. Mader, 2014).
After studying Geography at UCLA and serving in the military for two years, George completed the graduate program in City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley in 1956. His first job was working with planning-pioneer William Spangle on the first master plan for San Mateo County. He spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in The Netherlands and led the current planning division of the San Mateo Planning Department before joining William Spangle & Associates, which later became Spangle Associates, where George led cutting-edge planning and research until his retirement in 2014.
Spangle Associates provided planning administration support to the Town of Portola Valley from the time of its incorporation in 1964 until 2014, and George served as Town Planner from 1965 to 2010. The town’s innovative approaches to geologic hazards mapping, earthquake fault zoning, and the integration of geologic information into land use planning and development have received national and international acclaim and were the subject of the National Science Foundation study that George led: Geology and Planning: The Portola Valley Experience (1988). George was also a principal investigator of several of Spangle Associates’ landmark research studies, including Land Use Planning After Earthquakes (1980), Pre-Earthquake Planning for Post-Earthquake Recovery (1987), and Rebuilding after Earthquakes – Lessons for Planners (1991) for which the firm received a Distinguished Leadership Award from the California Chapter of APA.
In 1970, George was invited to develop a year-long course at Stanford University in the use of earth sciences in urban planning which he taught until 2000. He received the Award for Excellence in Teaching from the School of Earth Sciences in 1992.
George was an investigator and advisor following major international earthquakes, including China (1976), Italy (1980), Algeria (1982), Mexico City (1985), and Turkey (1999), as well as the San Fernando (1971), Whittier (1985), Loma Prieta (1989), and Northridge (1994) earthquakes in California. He worked with planners in the replanning of Ech Cheliff following the 1980 Algerian earthquake and with the United Nations on seismic hazard reduction across the Mediterranean region. He was part of the first, comprehensive earthquake risk management study for Quito, Ecuador and helped develop earthquake hazard reduction planning mechanisms for cities in Turkey.
His public service on more than 30 state and national committees and commissions included the Advisory Group on Land Use Planning to the Joint Committee on Seismic Safety of the California Legislature (1969-1974), California Seismic Safety Commission (1975-1984), California Governor’s Emergency Task Force on Earthquake Preparedness (1981-1982), Bay Area Regional Earthquake Preparedness Project Policy Advisory Board (1984–1992), Project Oversight Committee for the National Institute of Building Standards Earthquake Loss Estimation Methodology Study (1993–1998), and National Research Council Committees on Seismic Policy Adoption and Implementation, Science and Technology in Emergency Management, and Ground Failure Hazard Mitigation Research.
In his later years, George served on the Board of Trustees of GeoHazards International and established the George Mader Fund for a Safer Environment to bring a legacy of thoughtful help to vulnerable communities in poor countries. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Ruth and Clarence Mader Memorial Scholarship Fund, which George and his brother Bill Mader founded in 1971 in honor of their parents. The fund holds periodic national organ performance competitions and also sponsors research on the organ and compositions for the organ.
George is survived by his wife of 66 years, Marjorie Mader, his three children—Steve Mader, Ann Stillman, and Philip Mader—and their families. All three children share George’s interests in the built environment: Steve is a remodeling contractor in Santa Rosa, Ann is the Public Works Director for San Mateo County, and Philip is the Chief Investment Officer and President of Development at Kingsbarn Realty Capital.
