Memorials - October 20, 1999
Clarence Gunther '26
Clarence died May 18, 1999. He lived on Singer Island in Florida. Clarence studied electrical engineering at Princeton and went into radio engineering. He was connected with RCA in Camden, N.J.
During WWII, he acted as technical adviser to the office of the secretary of war on air warning and aid to bombing. For his service, he received a commendation from the chief of the Bureau of Ships. During the Korean War he spent time at the front studying how electronics could help the Army.
Clarence was a member of the Institute of Radio Engineers, American Society of Naval Engineers and the Armed Forces Communication Assn. He enjoyed all varieties of the sport of fishing: lake, stream, surf, and deep sea. His son William '50 died in 1983 as did his wife, Margaret.
Clarence will be sorely missed by his many friends of long standing.
The Class of 1926
John Van Ryn Jr. '28
John Van Ryn died Aug. 7, 1999, in Palm Beach, Fla. He was 94. He was one of the best known of '28's classmates, having attained international recognition for his expertise in tennis. At Princeton in 1927, he won the U.S. Intercollegiate doubles championship. In 1929 at Wimbledon he won the first of four career Grand Slams with his doubles partner.
Quoting in part from The New York Times ". . . he became the only American man to prevail in Wimbledon's doubles championship for three consecutive years." On the Davis Cup team, the Times said, "Over all Van Ryn produced Davis Cup records of 7-1 in singles and 22-2 in his specialty, doubles." In singles, Johnny ranked among America's top 10 players in his early years.
In his business career, he was manager of the Palm Beach office of Merrill Lynch. He was a member of the Palm Beach Bath and Tennis and Everglades clubs and of several international tennis clubs. During WWII, John served in the Navy, with the rank of lt. com. In 1946 he married Cornelia Drake, the daughter of a Princeton alumnus. The class extends its sympathy to his widow.
The Class of 1928
Paul A. Kellogg '31
Paul, a distinguished and loyal member of the Class of '31, died on May 28, 1999, in the Westminster Health Center in Dover, Del. Born Apr. 11, 1910, in Carlisle, Penn., Paul moved at an early age, and in 1927 he graduated from high school in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
At Princeton, he was secretary of the executive committee of the University Club; a member of Westminster Society Cabinet; v.p. of St. Paul's Society Cabinet; organist and lay reader at Trinity Church, in Rocky Hill, N.J.; and a member of Whig Hall.
From early on it was apparent that religion was his forte. Following graduation and two years study at the General Theological Seminary, Paul went on to Union Theological Seminary and received a BD degree the following year.
He was ordained in the Episcopal ministry, and became curate of the Church of the Messiah in Glens Falls, N.Y., and in 1936 he became rector of the Church of the Cross there. In 1940 Paul became vicar of St. Paul's Church in Camden, Del. During WWII, he was chairman of the operating committee of the Dover USO and served as an aircraft spotter and civilian defense block warden.
After the war, the West Indies beckoned, and Paul went. In 1959 he became canon residentiary of St. John's Cathedral in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and in 1960 he became the first resident Episcopal bishop of the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo. That same year he received the STD degree from the General Theological Seminary. He retired in Mar. 1972, but continued to volunteer.
Paul is survived by his wife, Helen, one of his two daughters, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. The class extends its deepest sympathy to the entire family.
The Class of 1931
William Henry Sayen IV '43
Harry died of a heart attack at his Princeton home on May 10, 1999. He was 77. Harry had just finished the first draft of his Trenton Times column; it appeared in print, posthumously, on May 15.
Harry was educated at Princeton Country Day School and Phillips Exeter Academy. His Princeton career was interrupted by WWII, and he graduated in 1947 with the Class of '43.
In 1942-43, Harry served in the American Field Service with the British 8th Army, seeing duty in the Middle East and North Africa. From 1943-45, he was with the U.S. 7th Army in France and Germany.
Harry's early employers included Audience Research, Inc. He then joined the family business, Mercer Rubber Co. He worked his way up the ladder to the presidency, selling the company in 1981.
His love of words finally attracted Harry to the media world; he wrote columns for The Princeton Packet, provided commentary on local radio station WHWH, and ultimately became a regular columnist for The Trenton Times.
Among many other honors attained during his lifetime, Harry was named Mercer County Man of the Year in 1985. He was a triple threat in the sports area, excelling in ice hockey, golf, and bowling.
In 1946, Harry married Isabelle Burns Guthrie, who survives him. He is also survived by their four sons: W. Guthrie, David, George, and Henry, and a grandson, Walker.
To the entire family, we offer our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies.
The Class of 1943
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