I was quite moved when I learned of George's untimely death at the age of 67, I have just seen him in 2007 in Boston, while I attended my reunion at Harvard and the Boston ABAA book fair that at time, , and he seemed well, even given his difficult experiences. He was my first english professor at Lehigh University my Freshman year, He was only 23 years old at this time. He was also my film Professor at Lehigh, he created the first film course in the history of that storied and staid institution. He was always ahead of his times. He was a pixie with a vivid imagination, creative powers and a brilliant mind, he should have been full professor at Harvard and teach them all about film, culture and philosophy. We will all miss him, I wonder what happened to their huge manuscript of his book on his favorite film, "Rebel without a Cause." If one knows, call me. Michael Julian Hirschfeld.

George was my first teacher of film at Lehigh University and started me on the path to a career in film and video. I am currently a professor of communications and run a production company that produces documentary and corporate film and videos. George was my mentor and his passion and knowledge of film inspired me to enter the field. The in depth discussions we had on the meaning and nuances of films have never been equaled. He will be greatly missed.

I knew George for many years at Massasoit Community College both as a friend and co-worker and was always impressed by his brilliance and gentle manor. He was a real gentleman and was always ready to help anyone who needed him. I regret that I had lost touch with him over the past few years and often wondered how he was doing. I am sorry I was unable to attend his services, but my thoughts were with you.

I, too, took George's path-breaking film studies course while I tried to make sense of myself as an English major in an engineering school, as LU was then (1966-1970). I'm a bit stunned to learn that he died in '08, while I was still teaching English (Goucher College). Until I retired in '15, every year in my second semester composition course I used a version of George's voluminous film analysis glossary to teach first-year students to view films as art works and cultural artifacts, an approach George taught me. George was always mentally at my side, urging me not to sound too damned serious lest I commit "elephantine triumphs of obliquity." I really could not tell how old he was, but he took me under his wing and gave me the courage to tell my "you could be a chemical engineer if you only applied yourself" parents that I cared about literature and art and music more than calculus. After I nearly flunked out in my freshman year (failing both calculus and physics), George and his friend, Dudley, kept me sane during a surreal summer session when I retook both courses. They introduced me to opera and the newly released Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" album. Favorite memory--with George and a few other students in the projection booth while he showed a theater packed with laughing undergrads Georges Méliès' 1902 "Le Voyage dans la lune," in which a gigantic artillery shell carrying lunar explorers hits the Man in the Moon right in the eye. George's inspired musical accompaniment for the silent film was the recently released (1966) Luciano Sgrizzi recording on Nonesuch of the Scarlatti solo harpsichord sonatas, none of which anyone in the theater had ever heard before. Totally new, totally old, totally witty, totally George. He changed my life.

I too took film courses from George at Lehigh in the late sixties and he lit a fire in me that has never gone out. We stayed friends into the seventies when I found writing outlets for George in a D.C. Alt. Paper I wrote for. What a mind and spirit! I will never forget what he did for me as a student trying to find a path at a straight laced engineering school. I am now 70 and George and James Frakes remain vivid in my mind and inspirations in my life.

Watching a Fritz Lang movie just now, I thought of the most brilliant lecturer on film I've ever heard. It was five decades ago at Lehigh, the one course I remember most fondly. George Macdonald, the youngster in his twenties whose stapled handouts each week on the current film he'd selected was invariably even more interesting than the text he'd selected, by Andrew Sarris, a nationally famous auteurist film critic. I always assumed George would publish. How I wish I still had those hand-outs of his. On impulse i googled George Macdonald film critic a moment ago and this site appeared, the only relevant result. And obviously there are still former students of his who will remember his eloquence and inspiration as long as they live, as these posts attest. This long-delayed news of his death stuns me. I only hope he realized the immense significance his teaching would have for so many young students, even now that they, we, are old men.

I am so sad to have found George’s obituary. He was my roommate for two years at Lehigh University (1965-1967), in my last two years of college and while George was both teaching and studying for his PhD. He was a fascinating person, from whom I learned a lot â€" among other things he introduced me to Gregorian chants. I then played them endlessly while studying my pre-med courses. He always thought I was more than a little strange, as I was wrapped up in Air Force ROTC. To provide myself with an ROTC haircut I used to just run an electric clippers all over my head. At that time George had a full, thick, head of hair. One day he asked to try my clippers. He took it and quickly ran it in a circle all around his left ear. Then he looked at himself in the mirror and merely exclaimed “Oh My!â€? I admired his practical solution to wardrobe choices. He had in his closet 8 identical pairs of khaki corduroy pants, 8 identical long sleeve white shirts, and 3 identical pairs of brown penny loafers. This way he always had a good, clean, outfit to wear and no time wasted choosing it. I remember George spending every night from 11 p.m. until about 5 a.m. watching old movies on TV with his buddy, Dudley Brown, in our living room. I was so impressed that he knew every movie’s dialogue, and every actor. Film was a huge part of his life. He thoroughly enjoyed every minute of these movies.

I had the pleasure of taking two courses with George Macdonald as a Lehigh University undergrad -- Media and Values, and Introduction to Film. George provided me with tools to evaluate the messages sent by powerful visual media that I have used every day of my life. His in depth study of the assassination of President Kennedy is something I quote frequently. His interest no doubt amplified by the fact that the most important evidence was the films, both the famous Zapruder one, as well as the reverse angle one by Orville Nix. I also considered George a good friend, and remodeled portions of his home as a part time job between college and law school. I think I only saw one film with George (outside of the classroom) - the Family Plot - ironically Alfred Hitchcock's last film. I was joined by my brother Jim and his wife Leslie. Jim was much closer to George than I, and I know that the belated news of George's passing has made us all stop and reflect upon his influence on our lives.

With Facebook etc. I get stuff from old classmates and have no memory of them at all. I went to Lehigh University from 1966-70 and there was one Professor there who changed my life. I don't recognize him from the picture. I have no visual memory of him at all. But there was a George MacDonald who taught a survey course of Film before Film became a ubiquitous college course. We were best friends as I spent all my spare time talking with him. I remember reading and discussing his thesis and/or his writings that he wanted to turn into a book. In fact I had my own copy of it. It influenced me in so many ways. Because of Professor MacDonald I went on to teach Film at UCSD, write film reviews for various outlet, and work with movies my entire life. He inspired me and taught me. I think of him often. I wish I had known enough to have gotten back in touch. I never talked with him again after 1970. I just left the East Coast behind and never looked back. I hope he had a very happy life. Alan Pesin.