Hubert A. Royster Jr. '27
Dr. Hubert A. "Peanut" Royster Jr. died at his house in Blue Hill, Maine, Dec. 22, 1995. He was born and raised in Raleigh, N.C., and came to Princeton from the Gilman School. At Princeton he was a member of the freshman and varsity wrestling teams, the Triangle Club, and Tiger Inn Club.
After graduation from the Univ. of Pennsylvania Medical School, he became the leading pediatrician on Philadelphia's Main Line. He also taught pediatrics at the Univ. of Pennsylvania Medical School and Bryn Mawr Hospital. He was president of the Philadelphia Pediatric Society. In WWII, he served as executive officer of the Marine Corps and rose to the rank of comdr. In 1936 he married Elizabeth Rutan, sister of Frank '23. They had two daughters, Martha and Virginia. In 1965 he underwent two hip-replacement surgeries and moved to Durham, N.C. There he taught pediatrics, while obliged to use crutches. In 1981 he moved to Blue Hill and endured more successful hip surgery, which got him off crutches.
He is survived by his wife, his daughters, and four grandchildren. To them, the class extends its sympathy in the loss of one of its most successful, handsome, and popular members and one of the secretary's good friends. We will miss his rosy cheeks, warm smile, and incomparable skill at the piano.
The Class of 1927

David King Irwin Jr. '32
Rex Irwin, who lived in New Vernon, N.J., since 1950, died Nov. 21, 1995, from a heart attack.
Rex worked for Bryce Bros. Co., manufacturers of glassware, near Pittsburgh. In 1941 he joined the Navy and for a while specialized in aviation ordnance. He then went aboard an escort carrier, which took part in several campaigns in the Pacific. Rex was granted a personal commendation and retired as a lt. comdr. at war's end. He set up a business as a manufacturers' representative in NYC. Until he retired in 1983, he represented several glassware manufacturers as well as the manufactures of other merchandise. He was an enthusiastic Princetonian and an avid fisherman.
In 1947 Rex married Lydia Langer of North Dakota, who died in 1972. They had three children, all of whom survive him: William L. '70, Mary Irwin Leinsdorf, and Lydia Cady Langer Irwin III. He is also survived by his second wife, Barbara Ridder, whom he married in 1977, and by five grandchildren. The class extends its sincere sympathy to all of them.
The Class of 1932

Walter Bremer Stephens '42
Walter died Oct. 10, 1995, in Albany, N.Y., his home for most of his life. At the time of his death he was retired from the family business, Thomas Stephens & Son Real Estate Co.
Walter came to Princeton from Albany Academy and majored in modern languages. During the war, he served as a technical sergeant in the Army Air Corps, at the Alaska Air Depot. From the mid1940s, through the late 1970s he was the proprietor of the family real estate business in Albany. He was a life member and past commander of Wiggand Veterans of Foreign Wars Post and a life member of the Nathaniel Adams Blanchard American Legion Post. He was also a senior league bowler.
To his sons, Russell and Walter; and to his four grandchildren, the class extends its deep sympathy.
The Class of 1942
John Anderson Brown '43
John died Nov. 30, 1995, at his home in Wayne, Penn., following a valiant struggle with cancer. He was 74.
Born in NYC, John prepped for Princeton at Deerfield Academy. Graduating from Princeton with a degree in engineering, he entered the Navy, where he served aboard the destroyer escort Edmonds from 1943-45. A lt., John participated in many of the major naval campaigns of the Pacific. He earned a Bronze Star after rescuing several sailors from a kamikazed aircraft carrier in the bloody engagement at Okinawa. John began his business career at Foster Wheeler Co. in NYC, moved to Philadelphia in 1953 to open an office for the Fluor Corp., then started up his own firm, John A. Brown & Processors Construction Co., in 1958. He retired in 1981.
John is survived by his wife of 52 years, Helen Thacher Brown; sons W. Thacher and John A. Jr.; two daughters, Marjorie C. and H. Sanford; four granddaughters; and two step-grandsons.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of John's heroism during the dark days of WWII was revealed by his son Thacher who said, "Nobody knew about the award until the 59th reunion of his ship in 1995. At dinner, Dad started telling us about it, then pulled out the citation and showed it to the grandchildren." To the entire family, we offer our deep sympathy.
The Class of 1943

Warren W. Nissley Jr. '48
Warren Nissley, known to his friends as Niss, died Oct. 29, 1995, after a long battle with cancer.
Niss's long professional career took something of a back seat to his devotion to family and friends. His lifelong '48 friends were legion and include Henry Meyer, Tom Wolf, Bill Duffield, Red Noland, Lee Weil, Bob Hodes, and more. Niss graduated from Terrace Club, where the nightly bridge game often went well into the weekend. He came to us with other sons of '14 and the Lawrenceville contingent. He earned Phi Beta Kappa with his degree in economics and in 1958 earned an MBA with honors from Columbia.
After graduation Niss started training for public accounting. "I saw a quicker road to success, married it, and went to work for my father-inlaw" was his quirky way of referring to the happiest moment of his life, his marriage to Eleanore Steffens in June 1949.
After the automobile business he went into economic consulting as director of corporate planning at Continental Can and as CEO of Cogenic Energy Systems. From 1988 he worked in real estate in Tarpon Springs, Fla. The homes that Eleanore and Niss maintained were filled with family and friends. A tennis game was a daily event.
To Eleanore and to Jim, Gale, Peter and Debra, the class extends its deepest sympathy.
The Class of 1948

Thomas Harry Stathopulos '49
Tom died Sept. 29, 1995, following a three-year bout with ALS, which he bore with grace. He had been selected to participate in a program for the new drug riluzole, but he didn't live long enough to receive it.
Tom was born in York, Penn., Apr. 26, 1924, graduated from McCaskey H.S. in Lancaster, joined the Navy, and served from 1942-46, primarily in the southwest Pacific theater with the rate of MARC. He transferred to Princeton from Stevens Institute of Technology, was a member of Prospect Club, the wrestling team, Student Christian Assn., and the World Federalists, graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering. He joined the DeLaval Steam Turbine Co. in Trenton, and was its quality control superintendent. Tom was transferred to Monroe, N.C.; the company was bought by Transamerica Corp., and he became quality assurance manager of its IMO Pump division. In 1985 he retired moving to Ormond Beach, Fla. Tom was an active member of the Presbyterian Church, with particular involvement in Head Start and daycare programs for poor children.
Survivors include his devoted wife of 47 years, Janet; a daughter, Susan Hill; a son, Thomas H. Jr., two sisters, a brother, and five grandchildren. We extend to each of them our deep sympathy.
The Class of 1949

Joel Davis '57
Joel suffered massive head injuries in a bicycle accident Feb. 21, 1995, dying shortly thereafter. He had been biking to tutor a sixth-grade class, when he collided with a car in Corvallis, Oreg., his hometown.
Joel was born in Rochester, N.Y, and prepared for Princeton at Andover. At Princeton he majored in physics and mathematics and graduated cum laude. After Princeton he earned a master's and a PhD from the Univ. of Wisconsin. He earned tenure at Oregon State Univ. in 1971. Joel married Carly Smith in 1957 in the Princeton Univ. Chapel. They had four children and cared for several other young people as part of their household. He taught math for 31 years at OSU, where his academic interests included computers, numerical analysis, and applied analysis.
When he reitred in 1994, he was head adviser of the math department, on the OSU faculty senate, a member of the math department advisory committee, and director of the department's summer program. Joel was on the Corvallis planning commission, the budget commission, the water infrastructure committee and the local branch of the NAACP. He enjoyed music, camping, and hiking.
To Carly and his children, Marion, Bethany, Andrew, and Rebecca, we extend our sincere condolences.
The Class of 1957

Maria Therese Bostic '81
Maria died in a car accident Nov. 31, 1995, near her home in New Market, Ala. She was 36.
At Princeton, to help support her family, Maria worked several jobs, including the infamous Thursday night shift at the Pub. She was an active member of Dial Lodge.
After she graduated with a BSE in chemical engineering, she moved to Boston, where she earned a master's at Boston Univ. and worked for the Dept. of Defense as a software engineer. She married Dr. Donald Jaklitsch, a fellow engineer, in Apr. 1988. They shared a passion for nature and later moved to the Appalachian foothills of Alabama, where they could indulge in gardening, hiking, and camping.
After Don died in a car accident in Apr. 1995, Maria continued to excel at work and to jog, hike, garden, play pool (a skill honed at Princeton), read, study German, and give her time to family and friends.
Surviving Maria are her mother, Hortense Bostic, two sisters, three brothers, and two stepdaughters. We will miss Maria's calm strength, remarkable resilience, unique viewpoints, and her free and creative spirit. Contributions can be made in Maria's memory (and Don's) to the Appalachian Mountain Club, 5 Joy St., Boston, MA 02108.
The Class of 1981