Remembering George Swink: Pilot in Carlsbad Airport crash will be missed

By: RUTH MARVIN WEBSTER - Staff Writer | Tuesday, July 10, 2007 7:58 PM PDT ∞

Generosity of spirit and integrity are what George Swink of Escondido will most be remembered for, said family, friends and colleagues.

Swink, 57, was one of two people who died July 3, 2007, when the private plane he was piloting struck power lines after taking off from McClellan-Palomar Airport. The crash is under investigation.

At a private memorial held Saturday, Swink's wife of 37 years, Annie, said she was touched by the outpouring of affection from the hundreds in attendance. She said she was absolutely "blown away" by the amount of flowers sent to her by the number of people at her husband's company who have expressed their sympathy.

"The reason they had the memorial service was because of the hundreds and hundreds of calls they were getting at work," Annie Swink said. "And at the service, everyone shook my hand and said, 'I loved your husband.' These were big, burly men who told me, 'I respected your husband. He was a straight shooter and he was always fair and called it like it was.' That is the man."

Swink was president of Southwest Consulting Group in Rancho Bernardo, an engineering firm he and two colleagues started in 1994 that specialized in expert witness and consulting services related to mechanical, plumbing and electrical issues. Retained as an expert on more than 2,500 commercial and residential cases, Swink performed investigations for more than 17 years.

Before that, he was the president of a mechanical and electrical engineering design firm in San Diego, working for such notable theme parks as Epcot Center and Sea World as well as housing projects for the University of California and the Department of the Navy.

He was also a licensed mechanical engineer in several states, including California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Colorado, and a licensed private investigator.

"They also talked about his sense of humor and taking him to lunch," his wife said of those who attended the private ceremony: George Swink enjoyed a good joke and a good meal.

"He was known far and wide for his dinner parties and the Halloween party. People would look forward to it all year long," said family friend Kate Flaherty, 48, of Escondido. "They had a house full of stuff, an animated coffin that opened on its own, with fog, screaming and creaking. George had creativity along with the mechanical ability. You almost never see that all in one person ---- it took people's breath away."

Born on Christmas Day 1949 in Redlands, Swink was the only child of Lydia and George Swink Sr., who moved to the San Diego area when Swink was still a young man. Growing up on his parents' farm, he attended La Jolla Country Day School where he met his future wife, Annie Groves, in his senior year. The couple were married on Sept. 19, 1969, and have one daughter, Arwen, 31.

When Swink enrolled at Cal State Poly in mechanical engineering, Annie joined him in San Luis Obispo. "I started in animal husbandry before I found that pigs could give you a headache," she said. "When you pick them up, they scream at the top of their lungs, so I went into the English department. That's when George started Swink's Sweat Shop."

The sign for the auto repair shop Swink started now graces the couple's garage in Elfin Forest, a large house they built together more than a decade ago. The home, which they affectionately called The Castle, was a custom built and designed by Swank.

"There is amazing architecture to it," said Flaherty, a deputy district attorney for the county of San Diego. "He knew how to do anything mechanical or electrical. Everybody brought their mechanical issue to him ---- the neighborhood kid who needed some special engineering for a soap box derby or somebody who needed to borrow a woodworking tool. He could build anything he wanted."

Also an exceptional chef, pilot and scuba diver, Swink did volunteer work as a reserve sheriff for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Search and Recovery Dive Team.

He also believed in making the world a better place, said family and friends. Donations in his memory can be made to Heifer Project International based in Little Rock, Ark., which helps teach those in poverty to farm, or to Fraternity House in Elfin Forest, a residential care program for those with AIDS or who are HIV positive.

"I was extremely opinionated about him," concluded Flaherty. "He was one of the most intelligent, generous, resourceful men I know. And he had a wicked sense of humor, too."

-- Contact staff writer Ruth Marvin Webster at (760) 740-3527 or rwebster@nctimes.com.