Born in 1931, George’s grandparents were, respectively, French, Irish, German and Portuguese, which makes him, like most Americans, somewhat of a mongrel.

A Detroit native, he was an orator, debater and staff member of Detroit public radio (and then infant TV) during high school and college years. A Cub and then Boy Scout, he attained Eagle and Order of the Arrow ranks in those organizations. With intermittent active years of military service, he worked his way through college and law school. He got his BA and JD from Wayne State University (finishing 4th highest in his law school graduating class). He began military service in 1949 as a basic training Recruit E-1 in the 101st Airborne Infantry Division at Camp Breckinredge, Kentucky, and, later in the year, with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia. Upon completion of a 1-year active tour, he returned to school and soon joined the University’s ROTC program, receiving his commission and serving another 2 years of active duty with the Army Transportation Corps from 1953-55. George had another 27 years of reserve military duty, transferring to JAGC in 1959. He completed Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and had a variety of reserve tours of duty including at the JAGC office in the Pentagon. His last tour of duty in 1977-79 was as commander of the 309th Civil Affairs Group from which he retired with his 30 years of meritorious service and the rank of “Bird” Colonel 0-6, and a modest military pension that began in 1991. In April, 2004-07, with some 200 other senior active-duty and retired specially invited US and foreign officers, he attended a Strategic Studies Conference at the Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Maurer taught at DIT and various university classes and seminars. Maurer’s sister, Carol Strom, was a 20,000+ student Board of Education member and president for 2 decades in Livonia, Michigan; Carol now serves as member and rotating president of the Board of Trustees of Schoolcraft Community College in Livonia

.Maurer practiced law in Michigan, starting in 1958. Some 40 years ago, his law firm was one of the nation’s few law firms, then, to be fully integrated by race and gender. One of his partners, Anna Diggs Taylor, was later appointed by President Jimmy Carter and she still sits as a Senior US District Court Judge. Maurer specialized in labor relations law and trial work. He was president of a 2,500 member State Trial Lawyers Association; for several years, he was co-chair of the ABA’s Subcommittee on State Labor Law Developments; he represented both labor and management; he served as mediator, arbitrator and skilled negotiator settling numerous employee strike situations. He was a member of the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association, and he was multi-engine, instrument rated, having owned and flown several airplanes, the last a Cessna 401.

After having made Florida his home, he was nonetheless selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of the top 10 of 30,000 Michigan lawyers for the year 2000. In 2002, he filed pro se in the Florida redistricting/gerrymandering federal litigation along with Raul Martinez, Peter Deutsch, Bishop Victor Curry, and others. In that prolonged (but unsuccessful) litigation, he earned the respect and friendship not only of his Democratic colleagues but also of Miguel DeGrandy (lead attorney for the Republicans), Carlos Muniz (Deputy General Counsel for JEB Bush), and observer/Special Master John Anderson (former 10-term Illinois Republican Congressperson, 1980 independent candidate for President who secured 6 million votes, and present constitutional law professor at Miami-area Nova Southeastern University Law School.

Presently, Maurer serves as Secretary and Board of Director member of both the Alliance for the Aging of Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, and the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition (FKOC). The Alliance disburses and supervises the expenditures of $60+ million in state and federal funds, providing food, meals, homecare services, etc., for senior citizens in the two counties. FKOC provides counseling, lodging and sustenance for the homeless and working poor in the greater Key West area. Maurer undertakes periodic training and provides service in Florida’s SHINE program (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders). He continues to serve as Chair of the 18th Congressional District Democratic Organization (portions of Miami-Dade and all of Monroe County, Florida). He’s Monroe County Democratic Party State Committeeman and a member of the Florida Democratic Party State Central and Executive Committees.  He, today, continues membership in MOAA (Military Officers Association of America), ROA (Reserve Officers Association), AARP, ADA (Americans for Democratic Action), Common Cause, board member of the Florida ACLU and member of its Key West Chapter, etc., etc.