Island Icon: George Lanman

Island Icon:

George Lanman

by LOUISA GALBO, Coronado Historical Association Volunteer

If you meet George Lanman at a cocktail party or volunteer event, you might think he’s lived in Coronado all his life. Seeing how fully entrenched he is in the social, community, and volunteer scene, it’s hard to believe he didn’t make his final return to his beloved city until after completing two back-toback 20-year careers.

George Maurice Lanman was born in Pensacola, Florida, in 1935 while his father, Charles Lanman—a 1932 Naval Academy graduate—was in flight school. After receiving his wings, Charles’ first duty station was NAS North Island, where he built a house on a lot he purchased on J Avenue. That historically designated house still stands today. In 1942, when George was in elementary school, Charles accepted a position in Washington, D.C., and moved the family to Chevy Chase, Maryland.

While in Maryland, Charles took on various WWII-related responsibilities such as planning the Doolittle Raid and commissioning the USS Intrepid, and earning a Bronze Star with Combat “V” for his service in WWII. Charles was later recognized for his service on Coronado’s Avenue of Heroes in 2018.

Despite frequent moves for his father’s Navy duties, George excelled in academics and sports, captaining the swim team at St. John’s College High School and graduating at just 16. Recognizing he was too young to attend the Naval Academy, George embraced the chance to enjoy a traditional college life first. He attended Catholic University in Washington, D.C., for a year, joining a fraternity and becoming the fastest swimmer on the team.

George entered the Naval Academy in 1953. After graduation, he was eager to return to the West Coast, but his father’s passing in 1957 put those plans on hold. As the oldest child, George stayed on the East Coast to help with family matters. Following advice from his father’s Navy colleagues—“Before you learn how to fly a plane, you should learn how to drive a ship”—he started his military career on the USS Lowry as an anti-submarine warfare officer. With ship-driving under his belt, George set his sights on flight school and the West Coast… until fate intervened.

He met Anne Louise Brown. The introduction came courtesy of high school friend and West Point graduate, Jim Hamilton. One night, over pizza, the two men compared dating woes. George admitted he had a very particular wish list, including “a Catholic who could dance”—but kept meeting Protestants. Jim, meanwhile, wanted “a Protestant who could dance” but was dating a Catholic. Laughing at the irony, they hoped to swap dates at an upcoming Christmas party.

When George met Anne, he was immediately taken with her “Dinah Shore looks, her intellect (a math major and computer programmer), and her damn good dance moves.” To keep her in his life, George stayed on the East Coast after flight school.

They married in 1961, welcomed daughter Anne in 1962, and son Charles 15 months later.

In 1964, George was selected for the Post Naval Graduate School in Monterey, California. The Lanmans enjoyed two years on the West Coast before returning to Washington, D.C., for his Pentagon posting. In 1969, they made it back to Coronado, renting a two-bedroom house. With their third child, Mary, on the way, they sought something bigger. Following a neighbor’s tip, Anne inquired about a nearby house. Though its curb appeal was lacking and the price was steep for a lieutenant commander’s $12,000 salary, they saw its potential. George agreed—by telegram from a ship in Vietnam.

But barely settled, they were off again—back to the Pentagon in 1970, then on to London, where George served as special assistant to the Commander in Chief U.S. Naval Operations Europe. London life meant the theater, weekends in Paris, and skiing in Switzerland—“the best shore duty of my life,” George said. Later adventures included a Canadian train trip and a camping journey down the West Coast before returning to Coronado as executive officer of the VS-21 Squadron.

In 1977, George retired from his 20-year Navy career and began another 20-year chapter—first with the Intelligence Community Staff, then the CIA in Langley. Asked about his CIA work, George liked to joke, “We gathered intelligence to make the NSA look good.” He retired in 1997 and started planning his final return to Coronado. In 2000, at last, he fulfilled his MacArthur-like promise—“I shall return”—just in time for his 65th birthday, celebrating with eight of his Naval Academy ’57 classmates. George and Anne’s latest Coronado chapter has been packed with friends, family, sports, and community fun. Their daughters, Mary and Annie, now both live here, while Charlie pops in often from Texas. Between them, they have six grandsons, one granddaughter, and two great-grandbabies on the way. Ask “PG” (Papa George) for his favorite Coronado memory? No hesitation: “The four months my three little grandkids moved in with us. They were cute like puppies," he said.

These days, you might spot Anne on the tennis courts, or George at the lawn bowling green—2024’s top winner. Weekly Island Beer Club meet-ups and Meals on Wheels keep George busy, and together they’ve served as Eucharistic Ministers at the NAS Chapel and Sacred Heart Church, support the Coronado Hospital Foundation, and were lively members of the original Crown

Club. On the Fourth of July, you’ll find George weaving his bike among the parade floats at the starting line, clipboard in hand, doing his “parade judge” thing. George has never met a stranger he couldn’t connect with— and he’ll tell you the best thing he ever did was marry Anne, who always knew she wanted to come home to Coronado.