George Francis Scarborough, 77, of Pensacola, FL passed away peacefully Wednesday, May 4, 2011 surrounded by his family. George Francis Scarborough was born on Good Friday, March 30, 1934 in Lexington, KY. The son of George Buskie and Ada Wheat Buskie, George spent his early years in Miami, FL and San Diego, CA. He moved to Milton, FL in 1946 when his family was transferred to Whiting Field. George attended Milton High School and remained close to many of his classmates, hosting Milton High reunion events over the past 20 years. After graduating, he returned to Lexington where he attended the University of Kentucky from 1952-1956. There he fell in love with Kentucky basketball and his future wife, Mary Joanna Clark. George and Mary Jo were married on August 14, 1955 at Second Avenue Baptist Church in Rome, Georgia. George graduated from the University of Kentucky the next year with a B.S. degree in Business. George Scarborough served in the U.S. Army from 1955-1957, and was stationed at Ft. Benning, GA and Ft. Polk, LA. Carolyn Elizabeth Scarborough was born to George and Mary Jo in 1957 while they were stationed at Ft. Benning. They went on to have two more children, George Clark Scarborough was born in Rome, GA in 1960 and Charles Joseph Scarborough was born in Atlanta, GA in 1963. While in Atlanta, George worked as a manufacturing engineer for Lockheed. He was proud to work on the C-5A, the C-130, and the L-1011 projects. He often said his work at Lockheed was the favorite of all his jobs. George was transferred to Lockheed's Meridian, MS plant in 1969 after the L-1011 assembly line was moved to Meridian. In 1973, he began work at National Homes as a purchasing agent and was soon transferred to Elmira, NY. During his time in Upstate New York, he took a job at American LaFrance as an Industrial Engineer. In 1978, George and his family had the opportunity to move to Pensacola, FL where he began working with Mary Jo, who at that time was a director for the Miss National Teenage pageant. In 1983, the Scarboroughs and Carolyn Hawkins founded the Miss American Coed Pageant. George was named the national director. George Scarborough took great pride in the fact that the organization consistently promoted patriotism, community service and a strong academic record. Through extraordinary focus and hard work, George and Mary Jo Scarborough's pageant organization became the largest in the United States within a few years. He enjoyed meeting families across America throughout the year and going to the national pageant each summer in Hawaii. Faith has always played a great role in George's life. In 1978, he and his family joined First Baptist Church in Pensacola where George was a deacon, taught Sunday School and sang in the choir. His greatest joy came from his volunteer work at Samaritan Hands. George was the proud grandfather of nine grandchildren, Ian, Ginger and Julie Ward, Emily and Benjamin Scarborough, and Joey, Andrew, Kate and Jack Scarborough. His love of baseball and other sports kept him engaged as a coach throughout his adult life and in his final years he enjoyed keeping score at his grandsons' baseball games. He was also an avid fan of the Atlanta Braves and Kentucky Wildcats and for many years attended the Breeder's Cup. Survivors include wife, Mary Jo Scarborough, Pensacola, FL; daughter, Carol Ward (John) and their children, Julie and Ginger Ward of Jacksonville, FL and Ian Ward of Orlando, FL; son, George Scarborough (Sara) of Gulf Breeze, FL and their children Emily and Benjamin Scarborough of Gulf Breeze, FL; son, Joe Scarborough (Susan) of New York, NY and their children Joey Scarborough of New York, NY and Andrew Scarborough of Pensacola, FL and Kate and Jack Scarborough of New York, NY; He is also survived by his brothers, Chuck Scarborough of California, Scott Scarborough of Nevada and sister, Margaret Scarborough of Oregon. Visitation will be held from 3:00-5:00pm Sunday, May 8, 2011 at First Baptist Church with Funeral services beginning at 5:00pm with Dr. Barry Howard officiating. Private Family Entombment will follow at Bayview Memorial Park. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Sacred Heart Hospital, Dr. John Bray, Pippa Nicholson-Kuenn, Don Gaetz and TLC Caregivers, Lou Donaldson, Jan Bowersox, Alan Waren, Aunt Caroline, Stephanie Smart, and all the family and friends who showed an outpouring of love and support over the last year and a half. We could not have survived without you. The family also asks that donations be made to Samaritan Hands in lieu of flowers. HARPER-MORRIS MEMORIAL CHAPEL is in charge of arrangements.