Paul George: Historian puts into perspective impacts as Miami develops

Paul George said he was a mediocre student at Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School, focusing on sports and parties instead. But during his senior year, an engaging history teacher imbued him with positive feelings on history, and when he went to college, he ran with it. 

“It really goes back to an inspirational teacher I had in 12th grade that made me think in such a positive way about history. How interesting it is, all the details, it helps you understand people and understand things, like this pandemic…,” he said. “History gives you perspective on everything.”

Today, Dr. George is resident historian for HistoryMiami, the Smithsonian affiliate museum in the heart of downtown. His work consists of providing tours and lectures, contributing to the scholarly journal Tequesta, and conducting classes on Miami and South Florida history. 

He retired from teaching at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus about three years ago. He’s also served since 1997 on Miami-Dade County’s Historic Preservation Board. 

He joined Miami Today reporter Gabriel Poblete by phone. 

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