George Winston Page III, a longtime parks and recreation professional whose career spanned North Carolina and Georgia, died July 31, 2026, at age 57.

Page earned a degree in parks and recreation from Western Carolina University before beginning a career devoted to public recreation. After early work in professional baseball, he joined Brunswick County, North Carolina, where he served first as athletic coordinator and later as director of parks and recreation for more than a decade. He subsequently led Whitfield County Parks and Recreation in Georgia before becoming executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) in 2011.

During his 15 years leading VLPRA, Page helped strengthen the agency’s programs, facilities and role in the community. Under his leadership, VLPRA received multiple Georgia Recreation and Park Association Agency of the Year honors. In 2016, Page was named GRPA’s Distinguished Professional of the Year, and in 2019 the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials honored him as its Professional Fellow of the Year.

Page also maintained a connection to NRPA. He was an NRPA member from 1998 through at least 2008, submitted an application to volunteer with the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA), and supported NRPA’s 2015 Parks Build Community project as a donor.

His impact will continue to be felt in Valdosta and Lowndes County. VLPRA has named the baseball fields at the North Lowndes Sports Complex the George Page Legacy Fields, recognizing a career centered on recreation, community service and creating places for people to play.

Page is survived by his wife, Kelly; his sons, Matthew and Brooks; his mother; siblings; and extended family. His family also established the George Page Legacy Scholarship in his memory.