George Vincent Hughes

George Vincent Hughes was born on April 8, 1930, in New York, N.Y. His parents were Lewis H. Hughes and Marion A. Kerr, of Henderson, N.C. and Eastville, Va., respectively. George and his older brother Lewis were raised on Dawson Street in the Bronx and attended Knowlton Junior High School and DeWitt Clinton High School. He graduated in the top of his high school class and attended the City College of New York where he was a guard on the basketball team and the president of the citywide undergraduate chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. After graduating from CCNY, George enlisted in the U.S. Army. He attended officer candidate school in Fort Benning, Georgia and joined the 82nd Airborne Division (“AA”) paratroopers. After serving as an officer in the military, George returned to New York City and received his master’s degree from the Baruch School of Business. George married Teresa C. Patterson on June 17, 1956, in Manhattan. They lived in Queens, New York and had two children, Vincent and Deirdre prior to their divorce. He worked as an accountant for the New York State Tax Department in lower Manhattan prior to embarking on a career in the automobile industry. George had an entrepreneurial instinct. He started out investing in real estate and then became involved in the used car business in the Bronx. He became a part owner in Fiesta Lincoln Mercury in Queens and latter Flatbush Avenue Chrysler Plymouth in Brooklyn. In 1972, George entered General Motors’ first Minority Dealer Development academy. After graduating first in his class, George was appointed as a manager at Midtown Chevrolet in Manhattan, a GM owned retail establishment. George passed up offers from several manufactures until he identified a dealership that would provide him the best potential for growth. In or about 1974, George established George Hughes Chevrolet in Freehold, New Jersey where he owned the dealership and land. In order to be with the love of his life Shirley, he commuted from New York to New Jersey six days a week. He would arrive at his store at 7:30 in the morning and, on weekdays, would typically stay until 10:00 in the evening. George worked tirelessly managing all aspects of the dealership and his business was recognized throughout the 70's as one of the top grossing Black owned businesses in the USA. After retiring, George traveled around the world and eventually built a home in The Oaks, Osprey, Florida, near his brother Lewis. An avid bridge player for most of his life, George continued to play in Sarasota. After living in Osprey, George moved to Paris, France where he lived for a while. Eventually he returned to the Sarasota, Florida area where he lived until passed away. George was passionate about higher education and passed that value on to his children and grandchildren. He is survived by his long term partner Shirley Starks, his son Vincent G. Hughes of New York City, his daughter Deirdre Hill of Rancho Palos Verdes, California and grandchildren Erin, Evan, Samuel and Eliana and Shirley’s son Victor. He was a loving and respected partner, father, grandfather, uncle and friend. A celebration of life will be held for George on August 25, 2018, at 10:00am, at Toale Brothers Colonial Chapel, 40 North Orange Avenue, Sarasota, Fl 34236.

Tributes

George Vincent Hughes

April 8, 1930 - August 13, 2018