June 11, 2008: Memorials
John G. Kellogg ’32
Jack died Feb. 7, 2008, at the University Medical Center at Princeton, following an automobile accident in nearby Kingston.
Born in Milwaukee, Jack came to Princeton from St. Paul’s School. At Princeton he majored in politics, played lacrosse and took his meals at Quadrangle Club. Senior year he roomed with Anderson Hewitt. He was especially close to classmates Laurance Rockefeller and Jimmy Stewart.
Jack spent his entire career in the family business, the Square D Co., working and living in Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Dallas. Following his retirement in 1967, he moved to the Princeton area and embarked on his new career — serving the University and his class. He served the class as class agent, president, and, beginning in 1992, as its secretary. His many services to the University were recognized with various awards over the years. For decades, it seemed, the P-rade wasn’t really the P-rade until Jack marched jauntily past in his orange cowboy hat.
Preceded in death by his first wife, Anne Dumont, Jack married Babs Covey, a ’39 widow, in 1987. He is survived by her, his two daughters, a stepson, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. The class joins them in mourning this great man of Princeton and 1932.
The Class of 1932
John Henry MacDonald ’33
Jack died Dec. 6, 2007, from heart complications and pneumonia. He was 95.
Born in Harrisburg, Pa., he graduated from the local high school at age 16. At Princeton, he majored in chemical engineering and was on the photographic board of The Daily Princetonian.
After Princeton, Jack worked for Merck & Co. on the development of synthetic Vitamin B-1 and other drugs useful to the war effort. He stayed at Merck for 20 years, including a tour as assistant plant manager at its Danville, Pa., plant. After that he worked for the Nepera Chemical Co. In 1957, he became plant manager for S.B. Penick in Lyndhurst, N.J., and he later worked on companywide projects for them, such as health, safety, and environmental protection. He retired in 1977.
In 1999, Jack moved from Monroe, N.Y., to Loveland, Ohio, where he lived with his daughter, Anne, and her husband.
Jack was married to Helen Warga, who died in 1995. He also was predeceased by two sisters, Doris Blasco and Mary Jane Lynch. He is survived by his three children, Anne, John ’66, and Martha; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Jack recently had acted as the class agent for Annual Giving.
The Class of 1933
MALCOLM JOHNSON ’34
Mal Johnson, of Bronxville, N.Y., a retired lawyer, former class vice president, and organizer and host for several years of our class luncheons at the Princeton Club of New York, died of a heart attack April 16, 2008, two weeks before his 95th birthday.
Besides singing for more than 40 years in his church choir, Mal was active delivering meals to AIDS patients, as a government-relations adviser and bioethics-committee member of Jansen Memorial Hospice, and as a board and finance-committee member of the Home Nursing Association of Westchester County (president for five years).
Mal was a partner and founding principal of the New York law firm of Everett, Johnson & Breckinridge. He was chairman for 17 years of the tax and legislative committee of the Society of Insurance Accountants and recipient of its accountant of the year award in 1972. In World War II he won two Navy commendations for radar picket duty at Okinawa. In 1983 he won our outstanding achievement award and was hailed as “hearty, gregarious, upbeat.”
“My real driving force in life,” he once wrote, “is Janet and my family, and I have to include the Princeton family in this.”
Surviving are Mal’s wife of 68 years, the former Janet Morse; two daughters; and two sons, one of whom is M. Davis ’66.
The Class of 1934
GEORGE F. BARBER ’36
George died Aug. 8, 2006, at his home in Sewickley, Pa., after a short illness.
George was raised in New Rochelle, N.Y. At Princeton he majored in economics and belonged to Key and Seal. He participated in freshman and varsity crew and was a member of The Tiger business board, Triangle Club, the Westminster Society, and the Undergraduate Library Committee.
George enlisted in the Army Nov. 3, 1940. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, attained the rank of colonel, and earned citations that included the Bronze and Silver stars and two Purple Hearts.
In 1942, George married Alice Tippett. Alice died in 1996, and in 1999 George married Martha Ayers of Shadyside, Pa.
In 1947, George joined Crucible Steel Co. in Pittsburgh, where he became treasurer in 1960. He joined National Steel Corp. in 1961 as general credit manager; he became treasurer in 1970 and retired from that position in 1980. People liked George’s leadership style. If not, how could the citizens of Osborne, Pa., have kept him in office as mayor for 17 years?
Survivors include George’s wife, Martha; daughters Ann, Jill, and Lorrie; sons George, John, and Charles; and six grandchildren. We send our sympathy to all for their loss.
The Class of 1936
ARTHUR L. CONNELL ’36
Doc came to Princeton from Scranton, Pa., after attending Hotchkiss and participating in football and track while there. At Princeton he played freshman football and track, majored in economics, and was a member of Tiger Inn.
After college Doc worked from 1936 to 1943 for First National Bank of Scranton. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and served on the USS Champlain until discharged in 1945.
Doc worked for Bank of America in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1948. By that time he had concluded that his goals could best be achieved by having his own business. Accordingly, he opened a camera sales and repair shop in San Marino, Calif. Unfortunately, we have no later data regarding the outcome of this venture or Doc’s career.
Doc married Kathleen Carpender of New Brunswick, N.J., in 1937. The couple had two daughters, Kathleen B. and Alexandra P.
Despite our lack of communication with Doc since 1950, we know that he loved our class and had many good friends in it. We believe he was also a loyal Princetonian at heart.
Doc died Dec. 3, 2006. We send our sincerest sympathy to all of his survivors.
The Class of 1936
HENRY B. CROSS JR. ’36
Hank died Jan. 7, 2007, at home in Vero Beach, Fla.
A Providence, R.I., native, Hank majored in economics and was circulation manager of The Daily Princetonian and a member of Colonial Club. He had seven “friends-for-life” roommates in junior and senior year.
Hank started in the textile business with Clark Thread Co. of Newark, N.J. He enlisted as a private in the Army Ordnance Department in 1942 and served in England, Germany, and central Europe. He left the service in 1945 as a second lieutenant, having earned three battle stars. He was president of Cross Yarns, Inc. of East Orange, N.J., until 1955, when he abandoned textiles and joined a Wall Street brokerage firm. He retired in 1978 and moved to Vermont.
Hank was on the board of Dunn & Bradstreet for 29 years. Whether in New Jersey or Vermont, Hank volunteered for the YWCA, YMCA, the United Fund, and local hospitals.
He married Marion Gordon in 1948. They became snowbirds and eventually spent
winters in Vero Beach. They had four children, Carol D. Cross, Leigh McLean, Henry B. Cross III, and Kenneth G. Cross, and eight grandchildren.
We will miss our esteemed classmate.
The Class of 1936
EDWARD D. KELLER ’36
Ted died Aug. 3, 2006.
Ted started with the Class of ’35 and graduated with us. He prepared at Lawrenceville and at Princeton majored in history and belonged to Tiger Inn. He played freshman basketball and baseball and was on the varsity basketball squad for three years.
Ted worked for the Dosch-King Co., a road contractor in Whippany, N.J., until he retired at age 89 after several years as company president. The company has a terminal in New Haven, a bituminous concrete plant in Bergen County, N.J., and a road-emulsion plant in Whippany. It plays a big part in the building and maintaining of highways in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Ted was active in community projects and, as he wrote us several years ago, “I even became president of the local country club.”
Ted is survived by his wife, the former Evelyn Menk; two daughters, Joan Leggett and Christine; a stepdaughter, Elizabeth McCann; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; four step-great-grandchildren; and three great-great grandchildren.
We are proud to have had this ’35 stalwart with us, if only for a short time. We offer our sympathy to his family.
The Class of 1936
PERCY C. MADEIRA ’36
Perce died Jan. 16, 2007, at Broomall (Pa.) Presbyterian Village at age 91. He lived in the Philadelphia area most of his life.
At Princeton, Perce majored in politics. He was Bric-a-Brac chairman, played freshman soccer, was on the 150-pound crew, and joined Colonial Club. He later earned a law degree at Penn.
Perce entered military service with the 34th Division Cavalry reconnaissance troop and then joined the OSS as a liaison officer, for which service he received the War Citation. He ended his military service as a lieutenant colonel.
Perce was an associate concentrating on business law with Fell & Spalding in Philadelphia until 1969. He practiced business law in California for a short time, then returned east and became an attorney for the SBA and the FDIC until retirement in 1984.
Perce married Ellanor Roberts in 1941. She predeceased him. They had a son, Thomas P. ’69, who died in 1980, and a daughter, Margaret. Perce’s second wife, Nancy Stevenson, also predeceased him. In addition to Margaret, survivors include Perce’s brother, Francis Madeira, and three stepchildren.
Perce was a loyal Princetonian throughout his life. We express our deep regret at his passing.
The Class of 1936
MALCOLM MATHESON JR. ’36
Matty died of respiratory failure Dec. 21, 2007, at the farm home he built in 1938 in Fairfax County, Va. He was 94.
As a child Matty lived mostly at Wellington, a historic house on the Potomac River next to Mount Vernon. He prepared for Princeton at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va. At Princeton he played football, competed in gymnastics, and was a member of Cap and Gown Club.
After working for Beech-Nut Packing Co. in New York in the 1930s, Matty acquired a concrete-truck-leasing company in the Washington, D.C., area and his own construction company. He built the visitors’ center at Mount Vernon. He later became president of the Charles H. Tompkins Co., a leading Washington construction company, until it was sold in 1961. Before he retired in 1990, Matty served many years as president of the H Street Building Corp.
Matty was on the board of United Virginia Bank for 30 years and was a member of the Metropolitan Club and the Chevy Chase Club, among others. He and his wife, Pinkey, were prominent among our winter delegation in Vero Beach.
Pinkey and Matty were married for 72 years. She died exactly one week before Matty. Survivors include six children, Emma M. Roe, Malcolm Matheson III ’59, Torrey M. Cooke, Charles T. Matheson, Lila M. Stifel, and William John Matheson; 20 grandchildren; and 37 great-grandchildren. Our condolences go to all.
The Class of 1936
Rem Van Aiken Myers ’37
Rem Van Aiken Myers died Feb. 12, 2008. He was living at the time in Southbury, Conn.
He was born in East Orange, N.J., and attended Carteret Academy, where he was a member of the student council, was on the tennis and hockey teams, and played in the orchestra. At Princeton he majored in mechanical engineering and was a member of the Tigers Orchestra. At the end of his sophomore year he left Princeton to attend Brooklyn Law School. For five years he practiced law in New York City and then moved to Huntington, N.Y., in 1946, where his law office was five minutes away from his home.
Rem had been active in the New York State Guard, Lloyd Haven Bath Club, and the New York City Young Republican Club.
He married Marion Parker, sister of Ritchie Parker. They had two sons and two daughters. Marion died in 2005. Rem is survived by his children as well as 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. The class sends its loving sympathy to Rem’s family and friends.
The Class of 1937
JAMES HULL MILLER ’38
Jim died Dec. 27, 2007, in Shreveport, La.
Jim graduated from Riverdale Country School in Riverdale, N.Y., and at Princeton he majored in English, graduating with honors. He was also stage manager for Triangle Club and Theatre Intime. During World War II he served with the Army.
Postwar he gradually earned a national reputation as a theater-design consultant. Jim was brought to Shreveport in the mid-50s by the Lyons family to act as consultant on the design and construction of the stage and house portions of the Marjorie Lyons Play-
house. After construction he stayed on as its first technical director. He and Hall Lyons established The Arts Lab, and it was here that Jim came into his own — as a designer for spaced scenery and self-supporting sets. Jim wrote many books on theater design, scenery, and lighting, which he continued to update until he was well up in years.
His first wife, Dorothy, and his second wife, Edmund (“Mundy”), both predeceased him. He is survived by a son, James; two daughters, Catharine Koellen and Mary Alice Rountree; and three grandchildren; to all of whom the class extends its condolences.
The Class of 1938
Lawrence P. Mills Jr. ’40
Larry died March 12, 2008, at his Tryon Estates home in Columbia, N.C. Preparing at Hotchkiss, Tome, and Berkshire, he followed his father, Lawrence Sr. 1912, to Princeton.
He majored in politics, was a football managerial candidate, and was a member of Cannon Club.
He and Elma Finch were married Nov. 14, 1940, at her home in Broadalbin, N.Y. After World War II, Larry joined the family dress-glove business in the same community, where he worked in management positions until his retirement in 1972.
Upon retirement, he and Elma moved to their home in Tryon, where, as he noted in a class-reunion book, he was now the “great outdoorsman,” enjoying bird hunting, fishing, tennis, and gardening with his friends. Larry was a member of the Eccentric Club and the Saratoga Golf and Polo Club.
Elma died in 2007. Larry is survived by his three daughters, Judith Courter, Melinda Lee, and Marcia Wakeman; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. To them, his classmates extend their deep sympathies.
The Class of 1940
DANIEL PALMER KREER ’41
Dan died March 9, 2008, at home in Evanston, Ill.
He attended North Shore Country Day School and graduated from New Trier High School. At Princeton, he majored in psychology and joined Tower Club. He was also manager of the Student Refreshment Agency.
Dan was Illinois High School State Tennis Doubles Champion in 1937, and became captain of the Princeton tennis team and NCAA runner-up in 1941. In addition, Dan was state table-tennis champion in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, and New Jersey, and was NCAA doubles champion with partner Abbott Nelson.
In 1941, he enlisted in the Army, rising to captain in the Counter Intelligence Corps, and also working with the OSS. At the liberation of Paris, Dan was the first American into the city. After a short mission in South America, he returned to civilian life.
Dan spent 40 years in the life-insurance business and became the youngest life member of the Million Dollar Round Table. A member of the Indian Hill Club, he was nine times club tennis champion.
Dan was predeceased by his wife of 42 years, Ruth Lee Duck Kreer; and two brothers, George Bowman Kreer and Henry B. “Pete” Kreer ’45. He is survived by his son, Daniel P. Jr.; his daughter, Susan Lee Carlson; and five grandchildren.
The Class of 1941
JOHN AMBROSE McMANUS ’41
Jack died March 14, 2007, at Harlingen (Texas) Medical Center.
Born in Elizabeth, N.J., he was a longtime New Jersey resident before moving to Eliot, Maine, 27 years ago and spending his winters in Rancho Viejo, Texas.
A Pingry School graduate, Jack majored in history at Princeton, where he played on the freshman football and baseball teams, was a member of the Civil Aeronautics Flying Program, and joined Elm Club. Freshman year he roomed with Bob Goheen ’40, Don Platten ’40, and then with Wick Jones, Jim Patterson, and George Knauer.
In 1941, Jack enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served as an instructor in Moore, Miss., and then in tactical reconnaissance before separating as a captain in 1945.
Jack then joined the family business, McManus Brothers, in Elizabeth, N.J., where he became president and owner before retiring in 1980. For years he served on the boards of Eastern Union County Chamber of Commerce, Union County Trust Co., and St. Elizabeth Hospital. He was also president of Janet Memorial Home Institute for Teenage Girls and human-relations commissioner of the City of Elizabeth.
Jack is survived by his wife of 65 years, Joan Schultz McManus; five sons, Jack Jr., Peter, Michael, David, and Timothy; daughters Joan Ulick and Grace Bace; 12 grandchildren; a great-grandson; and two brothers, Bill ’44 and Dick ’49.
The Class of 1941
ALAN INGRAHAM NEWHOUSE ’41
Alan died Jan. 2, 2008, at home in Vero Beach, Fla. He prepared for Princeton at Choate, majored in psychology, was a member of Sigma Xi, joined Campus Club, and roomed with William Dwyer ’42.
During World War II, he served in the Merchant Marine. After his service, Alan moved to Bellaire, Texas, where he started his own business, South Ports Forwarding Co., later merging it with Behring International and growing it to more than 100 offices around the world. At one point, he opened an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and lived there for three years.
In 1982 he sold Behring and bought a 46-foot CSY, Whistler, going into commercial fishing in the Caribbean.
Alan moved to Nantucket year-round (although wintering in Vero Beach, Fla.), where he had spent most summers of his life. He contributed to the Nantucket Sailing Community by reviving the Rainbow fleet and the Indian class of sailboats. He was
co-founder and president of Nantucket Community Sailing, which each year teaches more than 700 children how to sail.
Predeceased by his wife of 54 years, Virginia Sharp Newhouse, he is survived by his second wife, Sondra Cross Newhouse; his four children, Nancy, Gerry, Deborah Dunham, and Christopher; four grandchildren; stepchildren Tiffany Vittorini, Holly Hanlon, and Daphne Borowski Muller; and five step-grandchildren.
The Class of 1941
THADDEUS HOVENDEN WALKER ’41
Thad died Nov. 2, 2007, in Casper Wyo., his lifelong home.
He prepared at Choate and came to Princeton with his younger brother, Dick Walker ’41. He started to major in civil engineering and was on the freshman football team. He left Princeton at the end of freshman year to attend the University of Colorado, earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
Thad joined the Army Air Corps in 1942. When flying out of ltaly, he was shot down over Szolnok, Hungary. Held as a prisoner of war, he was first at Stalag Luft III in Sagan, then moved to Nuremberg and lastly to Moosberg, where he was liberated on April 29, 1945.
Returning to Casper, he joined the family lumber business, becoming its president and retiring in 1979. Thad was president of Provident Savings & Loan from 1975 to 1988. He was president of the Casper Chamber of Commerce, served on the school board for nine years, was a trustee of Memorial Hospital for seven, and was a lifelong member of Rotary.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Eleanore Spencer Walker; three children, Ivy Parish, T. Drew, and Cameron ’72; and five grandchildren, including Kelcy ’01 and Brianna ’04.
The Class of 1941
Philip Henry Ward III ’42
Philip H. Ward died at home of congestive heart failure March 18, 2008.
Phil came to Princeton from Penn Charter School, where he had been on the golf and tennis teams. At Princeton he joined Cannon Club and roomed with Dick Boenning, Bob Thompson, and Charlton DeSaussure.
Immediately after graduation, Phil was mustered into the Army’s Field Artillery. In this capacity he participated in the invasions of Guam, Leyte, and Okinawa. For heroic service in these landings he received the Bronze Arrowhead, Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Purple Heart. He separated from the Army as a captain and shortly thereafter enrolled in Harvard Law School.
For many years, Phil practiced corporate law with the Philadelphia firm of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhodes. He argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1963 Bible-reading case Abington School District vs. Schempp.
In addition to working on his law practice, Phil was active in community affairs. He
was chairman of the Committee of Seventy, vice president of the Philadelphia Crime Commission, and president of the Wilderness Club of Philadelphia.
To his wife, Margaretta; his daughter, Susan; and his son, Philip IV; the class sends its sympathy.
The Class of 1942
LESLIE W. PFEIL ’44
Les, whom we remember as one of our flamboyant pilots who flew “The Hump” for the Air Transport Command in World War II, died Feb. 2, 2008, in Greeley, Colo.
He was born in Irvington, N.J., and attended Irvington High School. At Princeton, he roomed with Doug Demler and Andy Green and was a member of the Glee Club and Gateway Club.
Les enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He served 3 1/2 years and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal for 14 months of flying vitally needed transports in the China-Burma-India theater, as a first-lieutenant pilot, over the hazardous Himalaya mountains.
He returned to Princeton to earn his bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1948, and then worked 31 years for United Air Lines, first in Denver and then Chicago, where he designed the company’s executive office and training buildings. He and his wife of almost 60 years, Darlene, who died in 2005, retired to Greeley in 1986, where he volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and Christian church groups.
Les is survived by a niece, Jeannine Pfeifer, and devoted neighbors and friends in the Greeley area. Our sincere condolences go to them all.
The Class of 1944
JULIAN ORMOND CUMBERLAND ’45
Julian Cumberland died May 16, 2007.
Julian entered Princeton with the large group from Lawrenceville. After college he joined Aramco’s operation in Saudi Arabia but operated out of Englewood, N.J., where he lived with his wife and two children.
Julian worked in Aramco’s New York City office for several years, but subsequently joined the Newmont Mining Corp. in New York. At the time of his death, Julian was residing in Pleasantville, N.Y. His wife, Ruth, predeceased him. The class expresses its sympathy to the family.
The Class of 1945
CHARLES STEARNS HALL ’45
Charles Hall died Nov. 25, 2007.
Charlie entered Princeton from Mount Hermon and joined Campus Club.
Accelerating his studies at Princeton, he received a degree in politics in 1944 and became an officer in the Navy Amphibious Corps, seeing combat in the Pacific. Since Charlie grew up in China, he was able to co-author a Navy textbook titled Spoken Chinese.
He married Mary Morris in 1945 and joined DuPont in Wilmington, Del. Charlie was recalled to the Navy for the Korean War, after which he joined the CIA as a civilian for almost three decades, spending 11 of those years in Taiwan.
In addition to Mary, Charlie is survived by three daughters, one son, two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. To them all, the class expresses its sympathy.
The Class of 1945
ROBERT STEELE MONTGOMERY ’45
Bob Montgomery died June 25, 2007.
Bob came to Princeton with the large contingent from Lawrenceville and joined Quadrangle Club. He followed in the footsteps of his brother, Frank Montgomery Jr. ’38.
After service with the Navy as an aviation cadet, Bob joined the National Biscuit Co., working out of South Orange, N.J. He married Sheila Soper in 1944 and they had four children. Bob worked for National Biscuit — later called Nabisco Brands — all of his working career.
In addition to Sheila, Bob is survived by three sons and one daughter, to whom the class expresses its sympathy.
The Class of 1945
MARTIN SHELBY OCHS ’45
Marty Ochs died Jan. 21, 2008.
He entered Princeton from Baylor Prep in Chattanooga, Tenn., and joined Tower Club. His Princeton career was interrupted by service as an intelligence officer in France and Germany, after which he returned to Princeton and received a degree in English in 1947.
Marty became editor of the Chattanooga Times and married Celia Latimer in 1952. He moved to Charlottesville, Va., to become an editor in public relations at the University of Virginia. He then went to Egypt to teach mass communications at the American University in Cairo. Marty later returned to the United States and retired in Charlottesville.
Celia predeceased him in 2007. Marty leaves three children, Patricia Ochs Manning, Celia Martin Ochs, and Shelby Ochs Owen, to whom the class expresses its sympathy.
The Class of 1945
HUGH BELL OGBURN ’45 *55
Hugh Ogburn died Oct. 23, 2007, at his home in Honolulu.
Hugh entered Princeton from Westville (N.J.) High School and joined Dial Lodge. Accelerating his studies, he received a degree in chemical engineering in 1944.
After graduation, he joined the Navy, serving in the Pacific theater on the USS California. Following the war, he married Anne Wotherspoon and returned to Princeton to earn a master’s and doctorate, also in chemical engineering.
In 1950 Hugh and Anne moved to the Philadelphia suburbs, where Hugh worked for Atlantic Refining Co. and later M.W. Kellogg Co. In 1967, he was named director of engineering and petroleum technology at Union Carbide, and moved with his wife and two children to Greenwich, Conn.
Anne and Hugh were divorced and, in 1974, Hugh married Nancy Wrenn Petersen of Greenwich and Honolulu, and relocated to Hawaii, where he became vice president of Pacific Resources Inc.
Hugh was a member of Princeton’s Engineering and Sciences Advisory Board and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
In addition to Nancy, Hugh leaves a daughter, Peeky; a son, Scott; one grandchild; four stepchildren; and three step-grandchildren, including one in the Class of 2009. The class expresses its sympathy to his family.
The Class of 1945
Huntington T. Block ’46
Huntington T. Block died of cancer Feb. 25, 2008, in his native Washington, D.C.
Known as “Bucky” after the Washington Senators’ 1924 World Series manager,
Bucky Harris, he graduated from St. Albans School. After a semester at Virginia Military Institute, he served in the Field Artillery in the fierce Bastogne battle in Europe. Trans-
ferring to Princeton, Bucky joined Cap and Gown and graduated in 1946.
Bucky founded Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency to specialize in art museums, dealers, and shipping companies. He retired in 1992. He worked on the special-gifts committee for Princeton, and also volunteered as director of Tudor Place in Georgetown and of Siasconset Trust in Nantucket Island, Mass.
A tennis player, Bucky was a man of good humor and grace.
His wife of 54 years, Amie Willard Block, died Sept. 23, 2006. Their four children, Huntington M. Block, Bonnie Block Levison, William W. Block, and Amie Block Ratajczak, survive, as do seven grandchildren and Bucky’s brother, Roger W. Block. Our deep sympathies go to his family.
The Class of 1946
CHARLES F. SCHIBENER JR. ’46
Charles Schibener Jr. died Dec. 14, 2007.
He came to Princeton from the Friends Central School in Philadelphia, and after his freshman year spent three years in the Army.
He returned to Princeton in 1946 and graduated in 1949 with a degree in economics. After graduation, Chuck was employed in sales distribution with IBM and a variety of smaller businesses and independent enterprises. He was a member of Elm Club, the ACLU, and the Presbyterian and Unitarian churches. He enjoyed golf, boating, and music.
Chuck is survived by his partner, Jane Galvin; his daughter, Lynne Schibener Pierce; and four grandchildren. He was predeceased by his only son, Charles III, and his grandson, Charles IV. The class extends its sympathy to the family.
The Class of 1946
VAN DER VEER VARNER ’46
Van Varner died Jan. 24, 2008, in Alamo, Calif., of complications resulting from a stroke. He was 84.
Van was from Louisville, Ky. He entered Princeton in 1941, but graduated in 1946. He received a master’s degree in English at Berkeley, and began his long career as a teacher, writer, editor, and publisher in New York City.
He worked for Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's magazine Guideposts in a variety of positions for more than 60 years, until his retirement in 1997.
A fan of horse racing, he enjoyed wide friendships.
The Class of 1946
JAY R. REESE ’50
Jay, a longtime resident of Dallas, Texas, died there Feb. 7, 2008.
Jay was born in Philadelphia. He graduated from George School and served in the United States and in the Philippines from 1944 to 1946 as a sergeant in the Army Signal Corps. At Princeton, Jay was on the Engineering Council, served as chairman of the AIEE-IRE, was secretary of Elm Club, and played varsity tennis. His degree was in electrical engineering. After graduation, he traveled through Europe for three months by motorcycle with his roommate, Bill Flammer.
He began his professional career in the field of electronics, working for the National Union Radio Corp. in Newark. Then, in 1955, he joined Texas Instruments in Dallas, becoming one of its early vice presidents in 1961. He moved to Recognition Equipment as president and CEO in 1972, and concluded his career at Primefax, where he was president and CEO from 1981 to 1987.
Jay utilized his business expertise as a member of the board of directors of the Dallas Theater Center, an adoption center, a health corporation, and a computer-components corporation.
We extend our condolences to Nina, Jay’s wife of 42 years; his two children, Jay Jr. and Sharon; two brothers; and a granddaughter.
The Class of 1950
WILLIAM W. WELBON ’50
Bill died Feb. 5, 2008, from cancer. He was 84.
Bill graduated from Riverside (Ga.) Military Academy in 1942. He was a four-year World War II veteran and commanded a motor unit of the 44th Infantry Division in Europe. He participated in the surrender of Dr. Wernher von Braun, who later led NASA’s space program. Bill was discharged as a captain.
At Princeton, he was a member of Dial Lodge and majored in chemistry. He worked as a principal chemist for General Electric for 35 years, retiring in 1987.
Bill settled in Clearwater, Fla., in 1961, where he was a member of the Power Squadron, served as commodore of the Clearwater Yacht Club, ran Snipe Class sailboat races for 30 years, and served on the local Boy Scouts executive committee. However, his true passion was traveling around the world, attending meetings of the Meteoritical Society, to which he belonged for 47 years, and observing 22 total solar eclipses that cumulatively represented more than an hour of total darkness.
Ann Griffin, Bill’s first wife of almost 50 years, predeceased him in 1998. He was separated from Dorothea Smith, whom he married in 1999.
Bill leaves three sons, William, Robert, and Laurence; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. We extend our sympathy to his family.
The Class of 1950
RONALD DALE SCHMIDT ’53
Ron, who was born in Chicago and graduated from Wayland Academy in Wisconsin, died from complications of diabetes March 11, 2008, at his home in Novato, Calif.
He was at Princeton for two years and roomed freshman year with Bill Ellis, Ned Jannotta, and Jim Otis, who remembers Ron as “very outgoing.” Sophomore year his roommates were Rory O’Neil, Rod Portuondo, and Peter Ross.
Ron entered Northwestern University and received his diploma from its Kellogg School of Business. He served as a Marine Corps officer during the Korean conflict. He began his professional career as a stockbroker with A.G. Becker & Co. in Chicago and was transferred to the firm’s San Francisco office in 1967. He left Becker shortly afterward to go into business for himself and did not keep in contact with the class.
We have no further information, but extend our sympathy to Ron’s family and friends.
The Class of 1953
J. Logan Burke Jr. ’54
John Logan Burke died March 20, 2008, at his home in Rockport, Maine.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy. At Princeton, John majored in history, played lacrosse all four years, and was treasurer of Cottage Club. He joined the Army in 1955 and served as a lieutenant in Germany until 1957. He then attended Harvard Business School and was awarded a master’s degree in business administration in 1958.
His career included being a partner at W.E. Hutton on Wall Street. He moved to San Francisco, and spent the remainder of his career with Hambrecht & Quist until his retirement in 2003. He was a loving husband and a great father.
John is survived by his wife, Phebe; daughters Ann and Meredith; son Jeb; and three grandsons. He was predeceased by his son George. The class extends its condolences to his family.
The Class of 1954
Joseph DiCarolis ’54
Joseph DiCarolis died Dec. 22, 2007, after a 17-year battle with multiple myeloma.
Born in Hackensack, N.J., Joe majored in civil engineering at Princeton and was a member of Tiger Inn. He became president and CEO of Schiavone Construction Co. He also served as chairman of the Operating Engineers Local 825 Welfare and Pension Fund of New Jersey, and vice president of the General Contractors Association of New York City and the Association of General Contractors of New Jersey.
In his retirement, he sat on dispute review boards for large projects at JFK Airport and the “Big Dig” in Boston.
Joe is survived by his wife of 48 years, Elaine; his sons, Steven and Mark; and three grandchildren, Sean, Kylie, and Benjamin.
The class extends its sympathy to them on their loss.
The Class of 1954
Paul Joseph McGrath ’54
Paul McGrath died suddenly Oct. 2, 2007, at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Born in Jersey City, N.J., he graduated from Lincoln High School. At Princeton, he majored in history. He was a member of Dial Lodge and participated in many college committees and sports.
After graduation, Paul served in the Army for two years. He then joined General Motors Corp. as a personnel administrator initially working in Syracuse. He moved to the Detroit office in 1961, where he remained until his retirement. He remained active in politics and history.
Paul is survived by Catherine, his wife of 52 years; four sons, Paul, John, Peter, and Thomas; and eight grandchildren. The class extends its sympathy to his family in their loss.
The Class of 1954
RONALD E. STOKER ’60
Ron died Feb. 3, 2005, after a three-year battle with primary amyloidosis and multiple myeloma.
Born in Staten Island, N.Y., Ron prepared for Princeton at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., where he played soccer and baseball and was on the debate team. At Princeton, Ron played freshman soccer and belonged to the Outing Club, Cloister Inn, and the Chemical Engineering Society.
After graduation, Ron worked as a chemical engineer for Universal Oil Products and Kaiser Engineers. In 1973, he earned a law degree at the Chicago-Kent College of Law of the Illinois Institute of Technology; this degree was completed while he worked full-time as a chemical engineer. He subsequently practiced law independently and did financial consulting.
Patricia, his wife of 42 years, survives Ron, as do their children Diana, Carol, Julie, Susan, and Steven; several grandchildren; and his sister, Wanda Van Woert. Ron was a very intelligent, hardworking, and thoughtful man, and he is deeply missed by his family and those who knew him. The class extends its sincere condolences to all the family.
The Class of 1960
William D. Wu ’61 *79
Bill succumbed to lung cancer Dec. 18, 2007, while traveling in Shanghai, the city of his birth. Long before his death he had become an iconic figure in cultural exchanges between the United States and China.
Bill came to Princeton from the Diocesan Boys School in Hong Kong. He majored in philosophy as an undergraduate and earned his doctorate from Princeton in art and archaeology. As president of the International Students Association, he was known as “Emperor Wu.”
After teaching Chinese art at Dartmouth, Oberlin, and Mills College, Bill became the first executive director of the Chinese Cultural Center in San Francisco, where he lived until his death. At a celebration of Bill’s life at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum in February, his junior-year roommate John Randall recalled Bill’s extraordinary ability to “transform the ordinary” for the thousands of Americans to whom he introduced Chinese art and culture through his San Francisco Cultural Delegation Tours. Joy Luck Club author Amy Tan described touring with Bill as “in two words: the best.”
Bill is survived by his brother, Ted Wu; three sisters, Anna Feng, Lillian Wu Wilson, and Vickie Leong; two nephews; nine nieces; six grand-nieces; and two grand-nephews. We join them in mourning the passing of our classmate.
The Class of 1961
Donald M. Pett ’65
Don died at home April 26, 2007, two years after being diagnosed with stage-four kidney cancer. It is a tribute to his physical strength and mental determination that he survived so long.
Don attended high school in Pittsburgh, played varsity football, and became an Eagle Scout. At Princeton, Don lettered in football three years, playing on the undefeated 1964 team. He roomed with Cosmo Iacavazzi, John O’Brien, Roy Pizzarello, Ernie Pascarella, Rich Diamond, and Mike Michael, and was a member of Cannon. He majored in biochemistry.
After Princeton, Don earned a Ph.D. in microbiology at Penn, completed postdoctoral work at Duke, and became an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He switched to business after earning an M.B.A. from Kentucky. As CFO of BioTechnica International, he worked with classmates Marsden, Klotz, Losick, and Shank. Prior to his death, he was a real estate broker in Fredericksburg, Va.
Attendees at Don’s memorial ceremony included classmates Klotz, Diamond, Iacavazzi, Roth, and Sutcliffe, and teammate Ron Grossman ’67.
Don is survived by his wife of 44 years, Dorothy; children Kelly, Kathy, Don Jr., and John; and seven grandchildren. Don thoroughly enjoyed being a father and grandfather. His good-natured personality, sense of humor, kindness, and optimism made him an ideal friend. To his family, the class extends its sympathy.
The Class of 1965
Lee A. Knauerhaze ’67
Lee Knauerhaze died Nov. 23, 2007, in Houston after a three-month battle with lung cancer.
Lee attended Hinsdale (Ill.) Central High School. At Princeton, he majored in Romance languages, joined Cloister, wrote for The Daily Princetonian and as a freelancer, sang in the Chapel Choir, and was an accomplished classical pianist. He studied in Madrid after junior year and assisted John Bartlow Martin in his biography of Adlai Stevenson. Lee roomed in Walker with Mercier, Clegg, and Wilgus, who recall a wonderful friend with a contagious sense of humor.
After receiving a master’s degree from Middlebury and an M.B.A., Lee became a Spanish teacher. He taught at St. John’s School in Houston for 30 years. “Captain K” was warmly remembered at a memorial program there as a kind, helpful, and generous friend with a glorious sense of fun and an irresistible laugh. He had an intense interest in his world — which included family, friends, colleagues and students, the Spanish language, his home, music, and electronics.
Colleagues were in constant attendance at the hospital in his last days. What went before was remarkably fine, lived with spirit, grace, and good humor.
Lee is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Lynne and Thomas Householder; his niece and nephew, Anne and Paul; and dear friends Margaret Thibodaux and Mildred Boozalis.
The Class of 1967
Graduate Alumni
Frederick Seitz *34
Frederick Seitz, a distinguished physicist and president emeritus of Rockefeller University, died March 2, 2008. He was 96.
Seitz received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in 1932, and then a Ph.D. in physics from Princeton in 1934. During World War II, he worked on military applications of research, including the atomic bomb. His 1940 textbook, The Modern Theory of Solids, was very important to the development of solid-state physics and of transistors. He had taught at several universities.
Seitz was president of the National Academy of Sciences from 1962 to 1969, and from 1968 to 1978 he was president of Rockefeller University. During his presidency at Rockefeller, many new research programs were initiated. In 1973, he received the National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest scientific award.
Princeton awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1964. From 1968 to 1972, he was an alumni trustee of Princeton University. In 1978 he received the James Madison Medal, the University’s highest award for a graduate alumnus.
Outside his area of expertise, Seitz, in his later years, held views contrary to those predominant on global warming.
Elizabeth, his wife of more than 50 years, died in 1992. He is survived by a son, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Lacey W. Gallagher *88
Lacey W. Gallagher, a managing director at the investment firm Credit Suisse, died Feb. 27, 2008, of ovarian cancer. She was 45.
Gallagher graduated from Wellesley College, after growing up on the East Coast and abroad, mostly in Hong Kong and the Philippines. In 1988, she received a master’s degree from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton.
Gallagher had a successful career as an emerging-markets economist, having been with Standard & Poor’s before joining Credit Suisse (successor to the First Boston Corp.). She was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
She is survived by her husband, Mark Carlebach; her parents, Trudi and Hugh Gallagher; and a brother, Keith.
This issue has undergraduate memorials for Hugh Bell Ogburn ’45
*55 and William D. Wu ’61 *79.
