George A. Didden III

Washington Post Staff  Writer:   Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb Sunday, December 30, 2007

George A. Didden III, 62, the chairman and chief executive of the National Capital Bank in Washington and a longtime community leader, died of complications of sepsis Dec. 21 at his home in Chevy Chase. Mr. Didden succeeded his father in 1995 as the head of the independent   community bank founded on Capitol Hill in 1889 by a group of business owners and merchants, including Didden's great-grandfather.

He had worked for more than 40 years with his father and three brothers at the bank, which was considered one of the most solid and profitable financial institutions in the nation. He operated a commercial bank grounded in old-fashioned principles of personal service and used his financial acumen to assist his customers and the community. Mr. Didden once said his      customers remained loyal because "we're relationship bankers."

George A. Didden III worked for more than 40 years with his family in the banking business. (Family Photo)

"He believed his job was to help people make their dreams come true -- whether that was a new car or a new business idea," his son, Damian G. Didden, wrote. "He absolutely delighted in his customers' successes."

Although he did not always say yes to a loan or an idea, his son said, even his rejections "were intended in the spirit of generosity and wise counsel."

Mr. Didden was an approachable executive who was respected in the D.C. banking and business communities. He served as president of the D.C. Bankers Association from 1983 to 1984 and later served on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

A fourth-generation Washingtonian, Mr. Didden graduated from  St. John's College High School in 1963. He received a bachelor's degree from Boston College in 1967 and a law degree from Catholic University's Columbus School of Law in 1973.  Along with operating National Capital Bank, Mr. Didden immersed himself in community affairs. One of his first efforts to improve Capitol Hill was to help preserve historic Congressional Cemetery. He joined with other community members to found the Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery and chaired the group for six years.

He was on the board of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a Ford Foundation local economic development organization that helped revitalize District neighborhoods. In recent years, he served as a director of the Greater Washington Board of Trade and as a subdivision chairman of United Way of Washington.

Mr. Didden chaired the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District, a program he initiated with other business leaders to provide services for the commercial areas of Capitol Hill. He also served as co-chairman and treasurer of the Economic Revitalization Committee of            the Barracks Row Main Street organization, which has transformed the business district of Eighth Street SE and cultivated Barracks Row as a popular Capitol Hill destination. For his efforts, Mr. Didden received the Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust for    Historic Preservation and the Herrema Award from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation on behalf of the Barracks Row organization.

A man of many interests, Mr. Didden also served on the board of the Folger Shakespeare Library for 20 years. As the group's treasurer, he helped oversee the creation of the Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Lansburgh Theatre. For the past few years, Mr. Didden has also served on the Board of Governors of the Folger Library.

Mr. Didden loved nature and was endlessly curious about animals and wildlife, particularly birds. He was an avid bird-watcher and kept a log of the birds he'd seen, with a life list of more than 700 species.

His interests extended to the National Zoo, where he served two terms as president of the Friends of the National Zoo and co-haired         the capital campaign committee for the Zoo's panda conservation program. He played a role in bringing two new pandas, Tian Tian and      Mei Xiang, to the zoo from China. Mr. Didden also served as vice chairman of the zoo's National Advisory Board and traveled with the            zoo's Director's Circle to learn about conservation projects in Panama, Belize, Australia and Guyana.

More recently, Mr. Didden served on the national board of the Smithsonian Institution and was on the board of trustees of the            Supreme Court Historical Society.

He received the Capitol Hill Community Achievement Award in 1990 and the 2005 Mayor's Award for Excellence in Community Involvement as part of the mayor's annual Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation.

He was a longtime member of the Church of the Annunciation and most recently of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Chevy Chase. He also belonged to the Columbia Country Club and Harbourtowne on the Eastern Shore, where he and his wife had a second residence in McDaniel.

On the day before his death, he and his wife, Kathy Hogan Didden, celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary.

In addition to his wife, of Chevy Chase, and his son, of New York, survivors include two daughters, Kathryn E. Didden of Columbia, Mo.,     and Amanda D. Edwards of Washington; three brothers, James Didden of  Washington, Richard Didden of Arlington County and Donald Didden of  Kent Island, Md.; a sister, Dorothee Riederer of Potomac; and two grandchildren.