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Sen. George Syas

Return to Notable Former Nebraska Legislators

Omaha Sen. George Syas held one of the longer service records in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature.

"It's something that no one can take away from me. I've served the state and enjoyed it," he said once of his 26 years as a state senator.

The Union Pacific Railroad machinist was first elected in 1950 and served until 1977. Syas was not paid for the days he took off from his job to serve the state.

The Republican Party once offered to give him financial backing to run for Congress, but he turned it down, saying he was enjoying his work as a state senator.

He was chairperson of the Committee on Constitutional Revision and Recreation. He was known to have an avid knowledge and appreciation of both of those subjects. He demanded that laws have constitutional precision and campaigned on the benefits of the outdoors. He also headed committees on Miscellaneous Subjects, Urban Affairs, Labor and Education.

Education also was important to him. One of his greatest satisfactions as a legislator was sponsoring a bill to legally transfer state schools for the deaf and blind from the jurisdiction of the Board of Control to the state Department of Education. That law officially changed state services for the deaf and blind to be considered as education, rather than institutionalization, he said.

Syas was born in Omaha on Feb. 11, 1911. He played basketball and football for Omaha's North High School.

His awards include: the Omaha Education Association School Bell Award in 1964 for distinguished service to Omaha schools; Award of Merit from the American Association for Conservation Information in 1960 and the National Recreation and Park Association Award for distinguished services in 1966.

Sources: The Lincoln Star, Lincoln Journal, Omaha World-Herald and Nebraska Blue Book