December 8, 2004: Memorials
ELDON HORACE EARLE JR. ’35
A former class president, Eldon died at the Medical Center at Princeton April 27, 2002.
Born in Newark, he prepared at Loomis School, Windsor, Conn. At Princeton he majored in politics, played baseball, and was a member of the Madison Club. Post-graduation, he worked briefly for Royal Exchange Assurance in New York City. His next employer, American Foreign Insurance Association, sent him to set up company offices in Colombia and Venezuela. He called the latter “home” for the next 46 years. In 1952 Eldon formed Imataca as general agent for the Insurance Co. of North America; three years later he co-founded and directed La Venezolana de Seguros and saw it through Venezuela’s 1958 revolutionary change of government before retiring as vice president in 1982.
Eldon married twice. His first wife, Rona Benzie, mother of his two daughters, died in 1959. The following year he married Ruth Parkhurst. Their son, Hobart S. Earle ’83, had just graduated from Princeton when his parents came back to New Jersey to live. Both threw themselves into church and class activities. Through the University’s International Center they became a host family for foreign students. Also, for the next 17 years, they were volunteers for any and all tasks ’35 needed in Princeton.
When Eldon died, he was survived by Ruth, his three children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
The Class of 1935
GILBERT KUHN GARRETSON ’35
Gil died on May 16, 2002, in Morristown [N.J.] Memorial Hospital, not far from his retirement home in Basking Ridge.
He prepared at Pingry School, where he was a member of the swimming team, orchestra, and Glee Club. At Princeton, Gil majored in biology, joined the band and Terrace Club, and roomed with Dick Keppler. After earning his DDS in 1939 at Columbia University’s School of Dentistry, he joined his father’s dental practice in Newark.
This his many college friends expected. But his marriage a few months later to Gertrude “Trudy” A. Ganschow on the Saturday of ’39’s Princeton-Yale football game stunned them. “We knew they were dating,” a friend said decades later. “But Gil was wild about Princeton football and never missed a game.”
Trudy kept the home fires burning while Gil was in the Navy during World War II, and joined him at Princeton football games and parties for the next 55 years. When he resigned his Montclair [N.J.] Golf Club membership and closed his practice in 1989, they spent summers in Brielle, N.J., and wintered in Stuart, Fla. When health problems forced a move to a retirement home, Gil was elated to find ’35ers in residence.
At his death, Gil was survived by Trudy; his children Robert C., Betsy Vanderbilt, and Ginny Ogden; nine grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and his cousin, Wilson M. Hopkins ’55.
The Class of 1935
JAMES SYLVESTER GOODWIN ’35
Jim died at the Medical Center at Princeton June 9, 2002, five days after he was stricken with a heart attack at the Reunions P-rade.
Classmates were desolate. But Margaret W. “Peg” Goodwin, his bride of almost 60 years, was philosophical about her loss. Princeton was “the love of Jim’s life,” she wrote to a classmate. “It was where he wanted to be.”
As an undergraduate, Jim played varsity tennis, sang with the Glee Club, was secretary of the Gateway Club, and majored in politics. But far more important to him were the many college friendships he made.
He was always seen at Reunions before World War II; thereafter, while he was building an insurance practice in northern New England and the Goodwin children were arriving in rapid sequence, his Princeton trips became less frequent. By 1960 (’35’s 25th reunion), he promised that would change. He began to appear at more class events “and every time I am energized by old class friendships,” he said.
His friends always were, too. “We talked for hours and hours at the hospital before he died,” said Tom Flynn, then class president. “Jim’s joy at being back in Princeton was indescribable.”
A widower when he died, Jim was survived by sons James G. Jr. and Thomas W.; daughters Mary, Joan, Katherine, and Anna; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
The Class of 1935
NEIL FREMONT LEBHAR ’35
Neil died at his winter home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Feb. 11, 2002.
He prepared for Princeton at Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., where he played baseball, was in the school band, and was a member of the Literary Society. He also played baseball at Princeton, joined Charter Club, and was a cast member of Triangle Club junior year. What Princeton classmates may remember best about Neil, though, was his determination to become a doctor like his father.
Neil did just that, graduating from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, followed by a four-year hitch as a flight surgeon in the Army Air Force. In 1945 he opened his first office as a pediatrician in the Westport, Conn., area. “He was the dynamic force behind establishment of the Pediatrics Department at Norwalk [Conn.] Hospital,” recalls a colleague. For years he was an assistant pediatrics professor at NYU and taught at Bellevue Hospital.
Neil’s first marriage, in 1942, ended with the untimely death of his wife in 1948. Two years later he married B. Eleanor Herbert Finnegan, his partner for the next 52 years. They added three children to Eleanor’s son from a previous marriage.
Neil retired in 1985. When he died, he left not only Eleanor and their sons Neil ’72, Brett, and Clay Lebhar and Richard Finnegan, but also seven grandchildren, including Sarah G. Lebhar ’96, and three great-grandchildren.
The Class of 1935
GEORGE DOREMUS PATTERSON ’35
George died at Stonegates, his retirement home in Greenville, Del., Jan. 29, 2002, a week before his 90th birthday.
He prepared at the Hill School, in Pottstown, Pa. At Princeton, he joined Campus Club and was majoring in psychology until junior year, when illness forced him to withdraw from college. He spent much of the next 18 months in Germany, Austria, and Spain studying European languages. Life in Europe deepened his love of music and kindled a desire for more international travel. First, though, came a career. He returned to the United States and started to work in sales for the DuPont Co.
He married Juliet Grayson, of Huntsville, Ala., in 1939 and his career at DuPont flourished. He was transferred to explosives during World War II, then moved to textile fibers, where he worked for many years.
By 1972, George was ready to retire. Juliet had died a decade earlier; and he could no longer resist his old desire to “see more of the world.” He did so — solo at first. Then in 1981 he married “an old flame” from college days — Harriet Hamilton Moore. ‘‘We made it pretty much everywhere in the next 18 years,” George said. They summered on Martha’s Vineyard and spent most winters at the St. Andrews Club in Delray Beach, Fla. Harriet survived George as did his daughters, Juliet Hart and Carolyn Eaton, four grandchildren, and a sister, Mrs. Charles Uhle.
The Class of 1935
CHARLES DANIEL TREXLER ’35
A lifelong New Yorker, Trex died at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan Feb. 20, 2002.
Born in Brooklyn, Trex was the grandson of a Lutheran minister and son of the one-time president of the United Lutheran Synod in New York and New England. There were few early hints, though, that Trex would follow in their footsteps. At Brooklyn Polytechnic School, his chief interests seem to have been dramatics and debate. At Princeton he majored in modern languages, was on the fencing team, and joined Terrace Club and Theatre Intime.
After graduating, Trex first worked as a professional stage manager and actor, with performers such as Ethel Barrymore, José Ferrer ’33, and Jimmy Stewart ’32. During World War II, Trex joined the Army as a private, participated in the North African and Normandy invasions, and rose swiftly in rank. By V-E Day he was a lieutenant colonel and, in recognition of his work as a chief of special services in France, was awarded the Medaille de la Reconnaissance Française.
Upon returning home, Trex enrolled in the Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. He was ordained in 1949, and soon thereafter became pastor of the Good Shepherd Church on Long Island, a post he held until retirement in 1989. He never married. His survivors are his nephew, Roderick E. Kerr Jr., and an adopted son, Wanchai Panmunin.
The Class of 1935
ROBERT PATTERSON TURNER JR. ’35
Bob died in Albuquerque, N.M., Jan. 7, 2002.
At Princeton, he was active on the Daily Princetonian, joined Cloister Inn, and graduated with a degree in civil engineering. For the next 25 years, he said, “life was great but not enough.” He rose to executive vice president of New York Wire Cloth Co. in York, Pa., where his father had worked, set up his own company (Columbia Products Inc.), and joined the York Country Club and Chamber of Commerce. But something was missing.
So with his wife, Josephine M. Vester, whom he wed in 1934, Bob made his “first best decision” and moved to New Mexico. An interest in international affairs led him to become a founder and first president of Santa Fe’s Council on International Relations, to serve on the city’s Planning and Historical Styles commissions, and serve in other civic organizations. He earned a master’s from New Mexico University and took on various local academic posts, including teaching Latin American history at the College of Santa Fe, where he set up and directed a continuing-education program.
In 1962 an auto accident ended Bob’s passion for golf, squash, and running. More devastating was Josie’s death in 1991. He then moved to Albuquerque where his son, Robert P. III, lived. Others in the family Bob left behind are daughters Margaret and Blanche, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
The Class of 1935
JOHN FRENZEL CLINE ’39
John died in his sleep July 24, 2004, at White Plains [N.Y.] Hospital, following a bad fall July 21.
John had lived in nearby Scarsdale ever since his family settled there in 1925. He enlisted in the Navy in 1940 and was an ensign aboard the heavy cruiser USS Portland near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. Thereafter, he survived seven battles including the Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal, among others. He then took flight training and received his wings in 1944. Appointed a commander in 1953, he remained in the Naval Reserve until 1977.
His entire business career was devoted to his father’s advertising agency in Scarsdale. He was a charter member of the Advertising Club of Westchester and a longtime member of the Scarsdale Congregational Church, Scarsdale Golf Club, and Shenorock Shore Club in Rye.
John met his wife, Persis-Jane Peeples, on a blind date in Dallas and they married in 1947. P.J. and John were ardent ’39ers, joining most class trips and, happily, getting to our 65th this year. To our friend P.J., as well as daughter Margo and son Ted, we offer our sincere sympathy.
The Class of 1939
ROBERT DICKEY III ’39
Bob died at his Pittsburgh home Aug. 24, 2004, after a relatively short illness.
He had retired from the Dravo Corp. in 1983, after 35 years there, 18 of which he spent as chairman, president, and chief executive officer. He joined Dravo after his service with the Navy in World War II, during which he reached the rank of lieutenant commander and held the Secretary of the Navy Commendation with Ribbon Bar and the Navy Legion of Merit. He made a name for himself at Dravo, but in Pittsburgh he is widely remembered and honored as the founding chairman of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, through which he helped to transform a sagging portion of downtown into a cultural trust that has won national acclaim. A fellow trustee described Bob as a visionary who didn’t just lend his name but also his time, talent, and resources to the creation of the cultural district.
Having majored in engineering, Bob was delighted when Dravo established an engineering scholarship at Princeton in his name. His wife, Betty, survives as do daughters Diana Joss and Susan Dickey Gilmore, son Robert IV ’77, and six grandchildren. We offer them our sincere sympathy, even as we celebrate the life of our distinguished friend.
The Class of 1939
WILLIAM BURGOYNE NICHOLS ’39
Belatedly we learned that Bill died Dec. 4, 2002. We have no way of knowing the cause or the circumstances. When we last heard from him, he told us that he and his wife spent the winter in Florida and the summer at Heritage Village in Southbury, Conn.
Bill had majored in civil engineering, so it’s not surprising that he began World War II as a lieutenant with the Army Corps of Engineers in the Alaskan Department, later becoming a captain in ordnance, assigned to headquarters in the Pentagon. From 1946-50 he was an industrial engineer with Pan American Airways, leaving to join Allied Aviation International Corp., (an aircraft handling and servicing company) at Kennedy Airport, where in 1962 he was named comptroller. In our 50th yearbook he called himself a survivor who was still able to walk and play 18 holes of golf, swim for miles, ski the expert slopes, and to ride his bicycle on pleasant excursions downhill and to flat areas and not-so-pleasant uphill ones.
Bill and his wife, Virginia, were married in 1945. Virginia died about a year after Bill. They left one son, Ross, and one grandchild.
The Class of 1939
JAMES GAY GORDON YOCUM ’40
Gordie, formerly of Bryn Mawr, Pa., died of heart failure Sept. 30, 2004, at Riddle Village in Media, Pa.
He graduated from Episcopal Academy in Merion and followed his father, Howard H. Yocum 1898, and uncles J.G. Gordon Jr. 1907 and John Douglas Gordon 1905 to Princeton. He majored in politics, was on the soccer squad, and was a member of Campus Club.
Gordie was a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve, having served actively during World War II in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. He studied law at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his degree in 1948. He practiced law in Philadelphia as a partner with Phillips, Curtin, DiGiacomo and Yocum before joining the Philadelphia Stock Exchange in 1970. He retired as general counsel and vice president of the exchange in 1985.
The Philadelphia Presbytery received Gordie’s active support as elder and clerk of sessions in the First Presbyterian Church, and director of the Presbyterian Home for Widows and Single Women. Golf, travel, and reading were his off-duty pleasures.
His wife of 62 years, Phyllis Marie Burnett, died in July. His classmates wish to extend their sincere sympathies to his son, Gordon, his daughter, Margaret Bromley, and his four grandchildren.
The Class of 1940
HUGH WILMER AGRICOLA JR. ’41
After a long bout with Alzheimer’s disease, Hugh died Sept. 6, .
A graduate of Woodberry Forest School, he was a member of Quadrangle Club at Princeton, but left after junior year for the University of Alabama.
During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps, spending 26 months in the 5th Air Force in the Southwest Pacific, earning the Bronze Star, and separating as a captain in 1945. Hugh then received law degrees from Emory University and the University of Alabama. He practiced law until 1961, when he entered the University of the South where he earned a bachelor of divinity degree. Following his ordination, Hugh first served as curate and then rector of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham.
Retiring in 1974, he continued to serve the Diocese of Alabama and the Gulf Coast at several parishes and mission churches. He was a director of several charitable foundations including Cooper Greene Hospital, the Hillcrest Foundation, and the Jefferson County Parole Board. Always loyal to Princeton, Hugh delivered the homily at our 50th-reunion memorial service.
Predeceased by his son, Hugh III, Hugh is survived by his wife of 62 years, Elsie Nelms Agricola; daughters Claire England and Camille Bowman; his son, John; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
The Class of 1941
HARRY AMERMAN BLISS ’41
Harry died Sept. 12, 2004.
A graduate of the Nichols School in Buffalo, N.Y., he majored in chemistry at Princeton, where he was a member of Key and Seal. Harry roomed with Pete Lehman.
After Harvard Medical School, Harry served in the Navy Medical Corps, and was a battalion medical officer with the Seabees in the Philippines. He began his medical practice in Portland, Maine, but was called back into the medical corps in 1953-55. Harry then spent 12 years as a professor of medicine at the University of Illinois before returning to practice in Portland. In 1974 he earned a master’s in public health from the University of Michigan and returned to Portland to establish the Primary Medical Center. Harry served as Maine governor for the American College of Physicians from 1973-82, and received the Award for Distinguished Service in 1980 and the Laureate Award from the American College of Physicians in 1987.
Active with Physicians for Social Responsibility, he was inspired to earn a master’s in political science from Columbia in 1987, and do postdoctoral work at Yale from 1994-96. Harry retired from active practice in 1988, but continued to work with the Maine Medical Center until he died.
Harry leaves his wife, Ellis Kitchell Bliss; daughters Lisa Eaves, Jane Bliss, and Emily Lesser; son Bill; and eight grandchildren.
The Class of 1941
GEORGE GORDON BONNYMAN ’41
Bonny died July 30, 2004, after a long illness.
A native of Knoxville, Tenn., he came to Princeton from the Portsmouth Priory School. He majored in civil engineering and graduated with honors. A member of ROTC, Bonny was on the JV polo team and the skeet team. A member of Cloister Inn, he roomed with Lawless and Morton.
Serving as battery commander with Merrill’s Marauders during World War II in China, Burma, and India, he was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with Cluster, the Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Chinese Medal of Merit.
Afterward, Bonny went to work for the Blue Diamond Coal Co., becoming president in 1966, then chairman as well as director of the National Coal Association. He loved tennis and was an avid hunter all his life. He also piloted a small twin-engine airplane.
Bonny is survived by Isabel, his wife of 62 years; daughters Isabel Stanley and Anne Bonnyman; sons Gordon Jr. ’69, Alexander ’78, and Brian ’85; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
The Class of 1941
JAMES COFFIN HARLE ’42
Jim, a linguist and eminent historian and curator of Eastern art at Oxford University, died June 27, 2004.
Having prepared at St. George’s School in Rhode Island, at Princeton he achieved highest honors in history and election to Phi Beta Kappa. He was a member of Colonial Club.
After serving with distinction as a Navy navigator-bomber during World War II, Jim returned to Princeton, was appointed assistant to the dean of the college, and studied and tutored English.
In 1949 he married Jacqueline Ruch (who died in 1968). Their life-changing tour of India in 1951 ignited Jim’s interest in early Indian art and architecture. Fortuitously his studies of Sanskrit during a second visit to India led Jim to Oxford, where in 1956, he earned a “First” in Sanskrit and Pali. He remained in Oxford studying Indian art history, and in 1959 was awarded a D.Phil. (equivalent of a PhD) for his thesis on South Indian temple gateways.
In 1967 Jim was appointed curator of Eastern Art at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum. From 1970 until he retired in 1987, Jim was also a fellow of Christ Church, Oxford. Previously widowed twice, Jim married Betty (Lady Hulbert) in 1973.
For many years Jim and Betty, an accomplished photographer, toured India to collect material for Jim’s many articles and books. His magnum opus was the highly acclaimed The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent.
To Betty and Jim’s stepchildren and many devoted colleagues and friends, the class expresses its deepest condolences.
The Class of 1942
RICHARD VAN METER LA BARRE ’42
Dick, an advertising executive until an extraordinary career change, died June 29, 2004, at home in Cherry Valley, N.Y.
President of the National Honor Society at Uniontown [Pa.] High School, at Princeton he earned honors in English, won prizes in language and literature and, in his sophomore year, won the hand of high-school sweetheart, Vera Montagna. Thus began — with the dean’s permission — a blissful marriage of 62 years. Vera died in 2002.
After serving in the Army during World War II, Dick engaged in advertising and rose to executive vice president at Hazard Advertising in New York. In 1970 he left the business, became a master cabinetmaker, and eventually found his calling in mentoring disturbed children and teaching them woodworking. To prepare his program for kids ages 6-14, Dick, at age 65, earned a master’s degree in special education at Southern Connecticut College. He taught at the Green Chimneys School, a social-services agency in Brewster, N.Y.
Dick left these encouraging words for aspiring mentors and teachers: “I never cease to be astonished at the capacity of children to survive unspeakable abuses and in many cases even recover the capacity to love.”
To Dick and Vera’s children, Charles, Frances and Catherine, the class extends its deepest condolences.
The Class of 1942
JOHN A. MANN ’44 *50
John died Sept. 19, 2004, in Yorba Linda, Calif., after battling cancer. He was 82.
“I was destined to be a Princetonian,” he wrote in our 60th reunion directory, recalling being taken to Reunions since childhood by his father, Joseph F. Mann ’11. John had planned on making our last one. His brothers were Robert C. Mann ’42 and Joseph M. Mann ’42 p’66, both deceased, and his cousin is Donald B. Allen ’43.
In Geology 101, he met Professor Erling Dorf, who had an equal influence, attracting him into geology.
Born in Bloomfield, N.J., John prepped at Blair Academy. At Princeton, he was on the dean’s list and a member of the wrestling squad, soccer squad, Glee Club, Westminster Society, and Charter Club. His roommates included Harry Willson and Lew Kraft.
After Pearl Harbor, he joined ROTC, graduated in 1943, and served stateside and in the Philippines. Discharged as a captain, he returned to Princeton, earning a master’s in geology in 1949 and a doctorate in 1950. His 32-year career with Standard Oil of California concentrated on exploration for oil, and, later, organizing seminars for senior geologists. He retired in 1982.
We extend our sympathy to his wife of 62 years, Donna; their daughters Carol Mann, Barbara Burnett, and Pat Dawdy; and four grandsons.
The Class of 1944
GENEST DE L’ARBRE ’46
Genest de L’Arbre died July 14, 2003, in Reno, Nev., where he lived with his wife of 55 years, Jean.
A native of Belgium, he came to America in 1940 as a refugee from World War II, to study a year at Lawrenceville before starting Princeton in 1942. As a premedical student he transferred to Stanford University Medical School, finishing surgical training in 1952. He joined the Army and became chief of surgery at various hospitals until establishing a practice in Stockton, Calif. He was president of the State Board of Medical Examiners in 1968-69. Active in politics, Genest served on the California Republican Central Committee as finance chairman.
Genest enjoyed gardening, travel, and his daughters, Frances, Victoria, and Patricia as well as their husbands and his two grandchildren. He is survived by them and by Jean. The class extends its sympathy on the loss of a fine professional, exemplary family man, and esteemed classmate.
The Class of 1946
EUGENE MARCUS FRIEDMAN ’48
Gene died Aug. 30, 2004, of melanoma. He was 80.
He graduated from Dover [N.J.] High School at 16. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a captain of a B-24 bomber. In due course he was shot down over Germany, was interned by Switzerland, escaped in disguise, and was returned to US forces by the French underground. In 1953 Gene returned to Europe to visit friends who had helped in his escape.
At Princeton, Gene was a wrestler and graduated with honors in economics. His earned a law degree from Columbia and his legal career centered around his hometown of Dover. He served as assistant US Attorney from 1955-57. Twice an unsuccessful candidate for the House of Representatives, he retired from politics “with a perfect record.” For 3 1/2 years he served as the first public defender in northwest New Jersey. He also was involved in civic affairs such as the war on poverty and economic opportunity on the local level.
Gene entered a matrimonial state a tad late in life, at age 38. To his children, Emily, Charlotte, Ethan, Andrew, Matthew, Myra, Christopher, and Marcus, as well as six grandchildren, the class offers its condolences at the death of a loyal Princetonian and steadfast friend.
The Class of 1948
CHESTER SHARON BELL JR. ’52
Chet died of sepsis Dec.13, 2003, in Washington, D.C., where he lived. He was 73.
Born in Chicago, he entered Princeton from Neenah [Wis.] High School. At Princeton he was an economics major and a member of Elm Club. After studying marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business, he moved to Washington in 1959 to work for the US Agency for International Development. For more than 25 years Chet, an AID development officer, was a sterling example of Princeton in the nation’s service, serving with distinction in Washington, South Korea, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Oman.
A quiet, contemplative, compassionate, and appreciative man, Chet loved serving the less fortunate at home and abroad. He relished taking long walks, especially with his dogs. Above all, he loved his family.
While Chet, who never married, left no immediate survivors, he is lovingly remembered by Louise Risk, the widow of his cousin, Sharon Clay Risk ’43, and Sharon’s three children, Barbara de Boinville ’74, Nan Rollings, and Clay Risk ’78. To them, the class extends its deepest sympathy.
The Class of 1952
WILLIAM NICHOLS COLER ’52
Bill died unexpectedly of cancer Jan. 14, 2002, at home in Westport, Mass.
Born in New York City, he prepared for Princeton at the Choate School, from which he graduated in 1946, and the Marine Corps, from which he was discharged as a second lieutenant in 1948. At Princeton, he majored in chemistry and was a member of Cloister Inn. After earning an MBA at Harvard in 1954, Bill, a certified financial planner, enjoyed a successful career in management consulting. From 1966-98 he was owner and CEO of W.N. Coler Associates.
Bill was an avid and skilled sailor. He raced in many transatlantic contests, was a member of the New Bedford Yacht Club, was a Coast Guard-licensed Master of Steam, Motor, and Auxiliary Sailing Vessels on ocean waters; and taught, pro bono, marine navigation and seamanship at the US Power Squadron.
Above all, Bill treasured his family, lovingly calling their picture in our BOH “The Coler Collection.” To his beloved wife of more than 43 years, Rosemary; his sons, William Jr., Andrew, and David; his three daughters-in-law; and his four grandchildren, the class extends its sincerest condolences.
The Class of 1952
ERIC MACDONALD ERSKINE ’60
Mike died May 3, 2004, in Baltimore from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Born in Denver, Mike came to Princeton from Evanston Township [Ill.] High School. Originally a member of ’60, he left Princeton after sophomore year, then returned to graduate with ’62. He was a member of Quadrangle Club and majored in biology. His roommates included Bob Houghtlin, Stuart Levine, Jerry Graber, Nick Newens, and John Burchill. Mike met Martha Duggan at Vassar, and they married in 1962.
Roger Bolgard ’61, a lifelong friend from Evanston and one of Mike’s roommates for two years, recalls, “Mike was one of the world’s greatest salesmen, with a warm personality. He was gentle, caring, and took a great interest in everyone he met. He made each person around him feel special. He never forgot old friends.”
Mike achieved the highest score on the IBM sales applicant’s examination, and once he found his niche there, had a marvelous 30-year career in Montpelier, Vt., Baltimore, Washington, and Gaithersburg, Md. He retired in 1993 as manager of the Washington Systems Design Center, then pursued a second career in financial planning.
Survivors include Martha; their sons, Michael, William, Kenneth, and Timothy; a sister, Betty Bockley; and five grandchildren. Mike was a devoted family man and to his family, the classes of ’60 and ’62 extend deepest sympathy.
The Class of 1960
EDWARD CARL JOHNSON ’60
Ed died May 11, 2004, in Sarasota, Fla., after a brief illness.
Ed graduated from Jackson [Mich.] High School, where he was state champion in debate and extemporaneous speaking. Continuing his love of public speaking at Princeton, he was active in Whig-Clio, and was an announcer and disc jockey at WPRB. Upon becoming an English major, however, Ed concentrated on reading novels and writing during junior and senior years, according to roommates Jim Beardsley and Jerry Stoller. The highlight of that period for him was spending an evening with William Faulkner. He was also a member of Elm Club.
After graduating from University of Michigan Law School, Ed put his mellifluous voice to good use in the courtroom as a trial lawyer. He later worked in estate planning and land development, most recently with Johnson & McPherson in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. He managed to practice law full-time while commuting between Sarasota and Detroit in the winter, and Ontario and Detroit in the summer. Ed was past president of the Princeton Club of Michigan.
Ed is survived by his wife, Liz; their children, Julia Trautschold ’88, Bridget O’Shea, Kristin Baer, and Edward “Ned” Jr. His children and his 12 grandchildren were never far from his side.
The Class of 1960
ROBIN HERNDON PRINCE ’60
Robin died Sept. 14, 2004, of complications from cancer.
Born in Washington, D.C., he graduated from the Landon School in Chevy Chase, Md., where he played varsity football, earning All-Prep, All-State, and All-Metropolitan honors, and was selected Best Leader. At Princeton, Robin played varsity football in his sophomore and junior years, majored in politics, graduated cum laude, and was a member of Cottage Club.
Robin graduated from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia in 1962 and held executive positions at several asset management firms including Bessemer Trust Company and Morgan Stanley, before founding and becoming chairman of Jamison Prince Asset Management in 1993.
Robin was involved in community activities, was an accomplished golfer and racquets player, and enjoyed boating and skiing. His warm, upbeat personality, unbridled enthusiasm, and keen sense of humor made him very special to his family and friends.
Robin is survived by his wife, Lolly; father, Sydney Rhodes Prince; brother, Sydney R. Prince III; daughters Elizabeth Prince Polluck and Kathryn Prince; son Robin Jr.; and three grandchildren. The class extends condolences to Robin’s family on the loss of this classmate who will be greatly missed.
The Class of 1960
PETER RAYMOND ISELE ’67
Peter died Oct. 18, 2004, of complications due to early-onset Parkinson’s disease.
Peter was born in Perth Amboy, N.J., and graduated from Perth Amboy High School. A National Merit Scholar, he majored in chemistry at Princeton and joined Key and Seal.
After college, Peter was an IAESTE technical exchange student in England. In 1971, he graduated from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and then served as a captain in the Air Force.
Following a stint as chief resident at Overlook Hospital in Summit, N.J., family ties brought Peter and wife Liz, to Hopkinsville, Ky., where he established a practice in internal medicine. An excellent diagnostician and great humanitarian, his New Jersey accent sometimes dumbfounded his Southern patients. Peter established a wound clinic and a free clinic for the working poor in Hopkinsville.
Although Parkinson’s quickly robbed Peter of his speech and mobility, he continued to practice until he retired in 2001. He had experimental deep-brain stimulation the following year. It did not alleviate his suffering, but Peter was proud to have contributed to medical research.
His love for Princeton and for medicine never left him. A “tiger” until the end, he listened to the Brown/Princeton game the day before he died.
Peter is survived by Liz, son John Peter, daughter Libby, and brother Reginald Harned Isele ’51.
The Class of 1967
JOSEPH ALONZO BERRY ’68
Joe died of pulmonary hypertension Oct. 13, 2004, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He was 59 and a physician.
He came to Princeton from Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass., where he was on the football and basketball teams. At Princeton he majored in biology and ate at the Woodrow Wilson Society.
He was a graduate of Howard University Medical School and a fellow at SUNY’s Downstate Medical School. He completed
his internship at Harlem Hospital in New York City.
After his medical training, Joe established the Roanoke Amaranth Rural Health Group in Jackson, N.C., and subsequently practiced in Albuquerque and Edna, Minn. In 2001, he moved to Stafford County, Va., to join AmeriChoice as vice president of standards and practices and medical management.
To his wife, Miriam Welch Berry; their sons Michael Alonzo, Jeffrey Dwayne, Kevin Shawn, Charles Ashley, and Jamel Ajani; daughter Miraj Ada; sisters Constance Berry Newman and Barbara Joanne Berry Duvoe; and 13 grandchildren, the class extends its deepest sympathy.
The Class of 1968
JONATHAN C. K. STOBIE ’71
Jon died at his home in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sept. 16, just three months after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
Born in Oxford, England, Jon attended the Dragon School there before moving with his family to Canada, where he attended Trinity College School in Ontario. At Princeton, he joined Ivy Club and majored in English, writing his thesis on “A Study of Five Jacobean Villains” for Professor Charles Crupi. He was a dean’s list student and attended the Dalhousie University Law School in Halifax.
Jon had a diverse litigation practice in Canada, focusing on commercial, securities, construction and insurance law, which spanned 28 years. He was a partner for 22 years with Stewart McKelvey Stirling Scales, and in 2000 was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in recognition of his professional integrity, good character, and outstanding contributions to the field.
He is survived by his loving wife, Anne Jackman; their children, Matthew, David, and Margaret; his mother and stepfather; his wife’s parents; two brothers; and a sister. The class extends deepest sympathy to the family.
The Class of 1971
Graduate Alumni
XIAOKAI YANG *88
Xiaokai “Xiguang” Yang, chaired professor of economics at Monash University, died of lung cancer in Melbourne, Australia, July 7, 2004. He was 55.
Xiaokai’s extraordinary life touched upon important currents in recent history. He was born in China to leading Communist Party officials, who provided him an excellent education and a privileged life. This ended when, as a high school student during the Cultural Revolution, he wrote the treatise, Whither China? Denounced, Xiaokai spent the next 10 years in the Chinese gulags. In despair, his mother, Chen Su, took her own life. Xiaokai’s memoir, Captive Spirits, is a haunting evocation of those times.
Xiaokai studied English and calculus in prison. After his release, he attended Hunan University and then Princeton, where he received a PhD in economics. Xiaokai rose through the ranks at Monash University and was elected a fellow of Australia’s Academy of the Social Sciences in 1993.
While imprisoned, Xiaokai had deeply admired a mathematics professor who also was a devout Christian. In 2002 Xiaokai was baptized in the Anglican Church.
Survivors include his wife, Jean; daughter Xiaoxi; and sons James and Edward.
This issue has an undergraduate memorial for John A. Mann ’44 *50.Graduate alumni
LUDWIG REBENFELD *55
Ludwig Rebenfeld, a chemist and alumni volunteer, died in Princeton May 26, 2004, after a brief illness.
Hailing from the Czech Republic, Ludwig earned a bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and a PhD in chemistry from Princeton. For over 50 years he worked in various capacities for TRI/Princeton (formerly Textile Research Institute) as director and president and, at the time of his death, as editor of the Textile Research Journal. From 1964 until retirement, Ludwig was also a visiting lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Princeton. He advised a number of graduate dissertations, either individually or in collaboration with members of the faculty, and taught a graduate course that exposed students to the technology and science of textile fibers. A widely respected textile scientist, Ludwig received many awards and honors throughout his career, including an honorary Doctorate of Textile Science from Philadelphia College of Textiles & Sciences in 1980.
Over the years Ludwig generously gave volunteer time and attention to Princeton, sitting on the Alumni Council and presiding as president of the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni from 1981-1983.
Preceded in death by his wife, Ellen, Ludwig has no immediate survivors.
ARTHUR NORMAN TUTTLE JR. *56
Arthur Norman Tuttle Jr., architect and engineer, died Feb. 11, 2004, at his home in Norman, Okla. He was 73.
Arthur earned a master’s in architecture from Princeton after serving in Korea in the Army Corps of Engineers. He remained active in the Army Reserve and served as director of planning for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and then as director of architectural engineering services at the University of Oklahoma from 1973-95.
He is predeceased by his first wife, Betty. He leaves his second wife, Barbara; two sons; a stepdaughter; and six grandchildren.
HARRY H. HUBBELL Jr. *47, Physics, Sept. 10, 2004.
GEORGE GORIN *49, Chemistry, March 22, 2004.
JOHN M. RAUSCH Jr. *49, Chemical Engineering, July 18, 2003
SAMUEL L. GULDEN *50, Mathematics, Aug. 26, 2004.
RICHARD E. HEITMAN *53 *61, Chemical Engineering, July 5, 2003.
JOACHIM B. EHRMAN *54, Physics, April 18, 2004.
ERIC KUM-CHEW LYE *62, Architecture, September 2003.
GEORGE J. McQUOID *64, Woodrow Wilson School, Aug. 18, 2004.
ROBERT W. GLOYN *67, Geology, Sept. 6, 2004.
WILLIAM J. SEEGERS *71, Linguistics, May 27, 2004.
ANDREW H. BLAUVELT *74, History, Aug. 9, 2004.
JOHN J. ADAMITIS *81, Woodrow Wilson School, Sept. 10, 2004.
LINDA S. STROHMIER *86, Religion, March, 13, 2003.
LISA A. MILLER-ELTON *86, Chemistry, July 23, 2004.
ALEC B. EIDSATH *89, Chemical Engineering, Oct. 10, 2003.
