George Busiel, 62, a former Evanston schools’ psychologist and substance abuse counselor with a gift for reaching troubled youngsters, died Monday, March 25, of heart disease in the University of North Carolina Hospital in Chapel Hill. Born in Chicago, Mr. Busiel graduated from DePaul University in 1963. He earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Chicago in 1973 and began working for Evanston/Skokie School District 65 the following year. During his 20-year career in Evanston, Mr. Busiel spent most of his time working with students at Nichols Middle School, but his interest and compassion extended to all children. “Like a pied piper, they responded to him,” said his wife, Joanne. “There just wasn’t any type of problem child that he was ever intimidated by. He really believed deeply in the potential of each child, even the ones that were really struggling to find their way.” Troubled teens and children would call him when they had run away or were thinking of suicide, family members recalled. No matter what time of the day or night it was, Mr. Busiel would go meet them, they said. “He probably saved the lives of countless children,” said his son, Chris. In 1994, Mr. Busiel received a lifetime achievement award, the Jay Moore Award for Creative Youth Services, from youth organizers in Evanston. In 1997, he and his wife moved to Chapel Hill, where he continued to work as a school psychologist. Mr. Busiel was a devotee of Lyric Opera of Chicago, attending from age 12 to this past year, when he flew in for three weekend performances. Mr. Busiel also took part in the arts, singing in a community chorus in Chapel Hill and recently learning how to play the guitar. “He was just a seemingly tireless person,” his son said. “Even when he had free time, it was always how many operas and how many museums can we see in a 48-hour period.” Other survivors include a daughter, Erika, and two brothers, Robert and Raymond. A memorial service will be held April 4 in Chapel Hill, with a Chicago memorial planned for April or May.
