George Cameron Creel

George C. Creel, Baltimore Gas and Electric Executive

Davidsonville, Maryland — May 7, 2026

In the late 1980’s, a series of safety incidents landed Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission "Watch List.” The CEO at the time called George Creel into his office and directed him, “Go to Calvert Cliffs, live there, and straighten things out!” A career in power plant design and maintenance, and the leadership inculcated through military service, prepared him for this crisis. Known for being calm and direct in all situations, he made the difficult recommendation to shut down the reactors for two years while the complex technical issues were addressed. He used the outage as an opportunity to “reset a basically excellent work force to its roots of safety” and followed through until the NRC restored Calvert Cliffs to good standing. “Safety first” was more than just a saying to George Creel.

Born in 1934 in Grand Junction, Colorado, Creel was the youngest of five children of COL Buckner Creel and Margaret Creel. After the family relocated to Edgewood Arsenal, where his father served as the POW camp commandant during World War II, he attended Bel Air High School. He demonstrated an aptitude for all things mechanical, earning him a spot in the mechanical engineering program at Johns Hopkins University. While there, he joined ROTC and, upon graduation, was commissioned with the US Army Corps of Engineers. He served as a Captain in the reserves until 1967.

While at Hopkins, he also met his sweetheart, Marian Baldwin, and decided it would be smart to find work nearby. He began as a junior engineer with Baltimore Gas and Electric Company in 1955, testing plant designs at the Westport facility. Over 42 years, he rose to a variety of executive positions from fossil power to power maintenance up through his retirement in 1997 as Chief Operating Officer.

He was part of the first 1970’s detente-era exchange programs and toured the power production facilities across the Soviet Union, including the infamous nuclear programs with few safety protections. He was active in the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) and chaired the National Academy for Nuclear Training within INPO. After a career with BGE he reflected on the high quality of the BGE workforce and the privilege it was to serve with so many dedicated employees,”they’re the best in the nation,” he said.

In retirement, George continued his work on many boards, including chairing the Maryland Center of Quality and Productivity at UMCP and serving on the board of advisors for the Whiting School of Engineering at JHU and the Clark School of Engineering at UMCP. He was generous in his donations, serving as a treasurer for Catholic Charities and establishing numerous scholarships and funds with the National Catholic Community Fund. He sang bass with the Annapolis Chorale and often served as a cantor, but he was best known as a devout defender of the faith and a family man. On almost any weekend from 1960 to 1990 he could be seen taking one, two, three or all eight kids around to family activities or working on home improvement projects in their Linthicum Heights home. He gave his family one more lesson on love as he tenderly cared for Marian in her declining years. His last years were spent meticulously maintaining his Davidsonville home, attending Mass, and providing sage advice for those who asked, and characteristically, for some who did not.

After a brief illness, George passed peacefully surrounded by family on May 7 at Spring Arbor of Crofton. He is survived by his children, George Creel Jr. (Karen), Matthew Creel (Monica), David Creel (Patty), Susan Fischer (John), Theresa Ziolkowski (Peter), Martin Creel (Amy), Victor Creel, LTC Andrew Creel (Kristin), 26 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 63 years, Marian Baldwin Creel, and his siblings Margaret Miniclier, COL Buckner Creel III, Cornelia O'Neill, and COL Tilford C. Creel.

A visitation and Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, May 15, 2026, beginning at 10:30 AM at the chapel of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bowie, MD. Interment will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Annapolis.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Arrangements are by Beale Funeral Home of Crofton, MD.