Jeremiah S. Finch
Jeremiah S. Finch, a professor emeritus of English at Princeton who
made an indelible mark on the University through his service in two key
administrative roles, died Thursday, Aug. 25, in Jamesburg, N.J. He was
95.
Finch, who joined the Princeton faculty in 1936, was dean of the
college from 1955 to 1961 and secretary of the University from 1966 to
1974.
Thomas Wright, who succeeded him as secretary, said that Finch excelled
at his work because of the way he inspired people and paid attention to
details.
"He was one of the loveliest, sweetest, kindest people in the world,"
said Wright, secretary of the University from 1974 until 2004. "Jerry
was an exceptional motivator because people were so fond of him. People
worked very hard because he was so generous, thoughtful and kind."
Wright said that Finch was extremely meticulous in his efforts to
maintain the minutes of the Board of Trustees and other official
records of the University. "He was a wonderful stickler for precision
and correct grammar and word usage," he said. "He considered that one
of his responsibilities as secretary of the University -- to make sure
that all official University documents and materials set a high
standard."
As dean of the college, Finch was responsible for overseeing
undergraduate studies and curriculum and for administering the various
services and agencies to promote the academic development of
undergraduates. Those who followed in his footsteps remember the wise
counsel he provided.
"Jerry Finch was the first of the modern deans of the college," said
Nancy Malkiel, who has served in that role since 1987. "While the
office was first established in 1909, the portfolio of the dean changed
markedly over the next 45 years. The fundamental responsibilities of
the deanship as we recognize it today date to Jerry's incumbency.
"For this dean, as I am sure was the case for my predecessors, Jerry
functioned as the wisest, most generous, most supportive mentor and
friend," she said. "He will be greatly missed."
Finch, a native of Albany, N.Y., was born April 27, 1910. Before
joining the Princeton faculty, he taught at Cornell University, where
he received his bachelor's degree in 1931, master's degree in 1933 and
doctoral degree in 1936.
At Princeton, he led classes in English literature until his retirement
in 1975. He was the author of works on the life of Sir Thomas Browne (a
17th-century English doctor and writer) and of articles for scholarly
journals on medical history, English literature, teacher preparation
and liberal education.
"Jerry Finch was a wonderful gentleman with the kind of erudite
academic training and breadth of reading characteristic of the great
generations of literary scholarship," said John Fleming, the Louis
Fairchild '24 Professor of English and Comparative Literature.
"As the person who in his role as secretary signed my letter of
appointment he was the first Princeton administrator with whom I had
memorable contact, and he always typified for me the quiet and graceful
efficiency of the remarkable group of people who, year after year, make
this place run so well," Fleming said. "Although he had already taken
up full-time administration by the time I met him, he remained until
his retirement an effective friend of the English department and a
gentle mentor to a succession of junior faculty lucky enough to
encounter him."
Finch also wrote several works on the history of Princeton University,
and played a significant role in the publication in 1978 of "A
Princeton Companion," a reference book by Alexander Leitch. He was made
an honorary member of the Princeton classes of 1931 and 1942.
"He's the strongest example I knew of being more Princetonian than most
Princetonians," Wright said. "Jerry just loved Princeton history,
Princeton traditions and Princeton people."
A. Scott Berg, a 1971 Princeton graduate and best-selling author,
recalled working with Finch when he was chair of his Class Day
arrangements. "I remember spending more time in his office in Nassau
Hall than I had to, simply because he was such charming company, so
full of vitality," Berg said. "I vividly remember his boyish enthusiasm
for everything we were planning.
"Graduation that year, you see, followed the scaled-down, war-protest
graduation of 1970 -- when most of the more light-hearted activities on
the graduation agenda had been deleted and few seniors had even worn
caps and gowns," Berg said. "So, as I was planning such things as the
Senior Prom and the clay pipe-breaking ceremony, he reveled in
recalling the traditions, so that we might reward seniors with some of
the fun that had recently been lost."
Berg connected with Finch again in 2001 at a Friends of the Princeton
University Library event. "… when we got together, he immediately broke
into his big smile and started talking about our 'work' together in
1971," Berg said.
Finch served as a trustee of the Danforth Foundation and of Ripon
College, from where he received an honorary degree in 1980. He also was
president of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary
Schools and a member of the Council of the American Association of
University Professors.
Finch was a board member of several local educational organizations and
member of the Princeton Small Animal Veterinary Endowment (SAVE).
During retirement, he read for the blind and contributed to the monthly
newsletter at Monroe Village in Jamesburg, N.J., where he lived for the
last 10 years.
Finch was a lover of nature and spent many summers in the Adirondack
Mountains. He was married to the late Nancy Goheen of Princeton.
Survivors include two daughters by a previous marriage: Anne
Finch-Fakundiny of Rensselaer, N.Y.; and Abigail Finch of Round Hill,
Va.
A private interment will take place in Fort Ann, N.Y. In lieu of
flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to: the Jeremiah
Thomas Finch (1940-1946) and Jeremiah Stanton Finch (1910-2005)
Memorial Book Fund, c/o the Princeton University Library, 1 Washington
Road, Princeton, NJ 08544; or the Small Animal Veterinary Endowment
(SAVE), 900 Herrontown Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.
