By CRAIG BASSE and CARRIE JOHNSON
Published June 25, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG - On a hot day in August 1952, George George climbed onto the roof of his downtown restaurant and wrote an invitation:
"Coffee Free Welcome Saucers"
It was a time of untold numbers of reported sightings of UFOs, and his amateur handiwork brought him worldwide publicity. His picture, standing on the roof of the Charcoal House restaurant, was printed and reprinted in newspapers and magazines.
The photo was snapped by a photographer in an airplane, not a flying saucer, one caption noted.
Newsweek ran it on the same page with an article featuring Albert Einstein and a discussion of space travel. The New York World Telegram & Sun published it on the front page.
Mr. George, whose St. Petersburg restaurant on First Street S was torn down in the early 1960s to make way for a federal office building, died Monday (June 23, 2003) at Mease Dunedin Hospital. He was 88.
"He didn't really believe in flying saucers," said Rick George, Mr. George's son. "He had an unusual sense of humor. He was what you would call an entrepreneur."
Born in Syria in 1915, Mr. George, whose first and last names were the same, came to this area in 1941 from Windber, Pa. After leaving the restaurant business, he worked as a car salesman for more than 30 years, until he was 75.
But Mr. George made St. Petersburg history by erecting what has been called the world's first UFO welcome station and landing site.
Asked by a newspaper reporter in 1966 if he really believed in UFOs, Mr. George replied, "Well, there was a lot of talk about them in those days. And nobody's ever proven to me there aren't flying saucers. Besides, with what I've seen, anything's possible. And if there really are flying saucers, I figured I'd rather have them on my side."
Family members say the sign was really a publicity stunt - a highly effective one.
Norma Kwiecien, Mr. George's sister-in-law and a waitress at the Charcoal House, said business exploded after the pictures were published. People drove for miles to visit the UFO restaurant.
"There weren't enough waitresses to help them all," said Kwiecien, 79. "My brother-in-law told me to tell all the customers it was the flying saucer era and take their orders."
The sign wasn't visible from street level, but all the patrons asked about it, said Frances Beers, Mr. George's daughter. But if they were attracted by the novelty, they stayed for the food.
"We had the best steak sandwiches in the area," said Beers, 62.
The restaurant, which was near Al Lang Field, also served freshly baked pies, seafood, spaghetti and steak. It was a favorite among baseball players in town for spring training and the reporters assigned to cover them.
Mr. George told one of those reporters about his plan to welcome UFOs on top of his restaurant, said Rick George, 54.
"He said to the reporter, "You know, you should get up in an airplane and take a picture of the sign. It would make an interesting story.' And the reporter did it," he said.
In addition to Rick George and Beers, Mr. George is survived by a daughter, Emily Lee, Palm Harbor; two grandchildren; and two great-granddaughters.
Friends may call at 10 a.m. Thursday at Brett Funeral Home, 4810 Central Ave. A funeral will be at 11 a.m. with burial at Royal Palm Cemetery South.
Daughter Lee said the inventive ploy was typical of her father, a creative man who wrote short stories and acted in local theater productions. He was also a Catholic and a World War II Army veteran.
But while the sign may have attracted customers, it never lured its intended audience.
Said Lee: "Nobody ever came for the free coffee."
- Information from Times files was used in this obituary.
