George Gilchrist had a distinguished career in evolutionary biology as a researcher, educator, and leader. He also had a remarkable range of passions and interests, from kites and kilts to wine and opera. After a brief overview of his training and positions, I will discuss three aspects of his George’s career that intersected with my own: His ground-breaking graduate studies on variation and evolution of thermal performance curves; his dedication to scientific synthesis, and his sabbatical at NESCent (National Evolutionary Synthesis Center); and his devotion to mentoring at all levels throughout his career. We will close with a brief discussion of Wagner’s Ring, music that George greatly admired.