November 7, 2001: Memorials
LANSDON HEBBARD BOWEN ’26
Lansdon died July 7, 2001, in Knoxville, Tenn. He prepared at the Columbus Academy and Andover, and after graduating from Princeton attended Harvard.
It would have been a great privilege to be in one of his classes. He was a professor of French at the U. of Ill., Ripon College, and Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. Landsdon was a longtime resident of Williamsburg but was born in Columbus, Ohio. He will be missed.
The Class of 1926
CARROLL HARDY LONG ’26
It is with sadness that we report the death of Carroll, who died May 10, 2001. Carroll was an outstanding doctor who, as you remember, was given the Achievement Award from our class. Carroll did much in the medical field to help others. He will be missed by his classmates and by his fellow citizens of Tennessee. We know his wife, Lucinda, would enjoy hearing from you -- her address is 709 West Locust St., Johnson City, TN 37604.
The Class of 1926
MALCOLM L. MONROE ’32
Mal died on July 30, 2001, in New Orleans. He was 90. He attended Woodberry Forest School and received an AB degree from Princeton, where he was in Quadrangle Club and ROTC. He also received an AD degree in law from Harvard, a master’s in civil law from Tulane, and was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1937.
He served as a lieutenant commander in the Navy. He was a lawyer with Reconstruction Finance Corp. and the Security and Exchange Commission in Washington, DC, before joining Monroe & Lemann, where he became a managing partner. He was a director of the Whitney Natl. Bank of New Orleans, Downman Inc., Bowie Lumber Company, Ltd., the New Orleans and N. W. Railroad, and New Orleans Terminal Company. He was a member of the Boston Club, the New Orleans Lawn and Tennis Club, the New Orleans Country Club, and the Bay Waveland Yacht Club.
Survivors include a son, Arthur B.; two daughters, Moyna B. and Diana M. Lewis; seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, to whom the class extends its sincere condolences.
The Class of 1932
MORTON SILBERFELD ’34
Mort died on July 23, 2001, in Manhasset,
N. Y., of complications from a stroke he suffered in 1997.
After graduating from Princeton, Mort took business courses at Columbia and the U. of Newark, and then worked in NYC as an accountant. He married Florence Nussbaum in 1940. During WWII he served as an officer in the Navy aboard the USS Moose. His daughter Joan was born in 1943 while he was away on active duty. His son, Jeff ’69, was born in 1947. Following his discharge from the Navy in 1945 he resumed his career as an accountant. Later he worked as sales manager for the Jersey Tab Card Corp. In 1975 Mort and Florence moved from their home in West Orange, N. J., where they had lived for nearly 25 years, to south Florida, where Mort worked for a commodities trading firm until retiring in 1991.
Mort’s death follows that of his brothers, Eli ’26 and Nathan. Surviving are his wife, Florence; his daughter, Joan Jewczyn; son Jeff, and grandsons, Mickey and Willie. To them the class extends its sympathy.
The Class of 1934
JOHN W. NICHOLSON III ’37
Johnny, a Moorestown, N.J., internal medicine physician, died of an apparent stroke Aug. 6, 2001. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Betty; his sons, Bob ’63, John, and Allen; his daughters, Sally and Liza; and 11 grandchildren.
He prepared at Hill School and graduated cum laude. At Princeton, he roomed with Fran Jacobs, majored in English, and graduated with honors. He also played varsity soccer and golf and was in Campus Club. He once said, “Princeton has meant the opening of doors and new, inspiring, and challenging views of life’s opportunities.”
After a summer motor trip through the West with Alex Armstrong ’37, John took his medical degree at the U. of Pa. Medical School in 1941.
He then spent 1942-46 in the Navy, mostly on an LST in the Mediterranean, and became a lieutenant commander. After that, he joined the Mayo Clinic and worked for an MS MD degree (1951). He said how thankful he was that he had chosen the practice of medicine over surgery. He was the president of the Burlington County Medical Society and Heart Assn. He retired to the congenial retirement community Medford Leas six years ago.
The Class of 1937
THOMAS FREDERICK VIETOR JR. ’38
After a long decline in health, Tom died of cancer on Jan. 14, 2001, in NYC.
Tom graduated from St. Paul’s School. At Princeton he was an English major, was on the freshman crew team, the club squash team, and was a member of Ivy Club.
During WWII, Tom was a sergeant in the OSS where he served on General William Donovan’s staff in Washington, DC. After the war, he joined Ruthrauff & Ryan, an advertising firm in NYC. Shortly thereafter, he joined Sullivan Stauffer Colwell & Bayless, where he specialized in radio program and television production. At various times he directed and supervised musical, drama, mystery, comedy, quiz, roundtable, and news programs until he retired from advertising. The last years of his working life were spent as the business manager of St. James Church in NYC, where he assisted the rector, Rev. John B. Coburn ’36.
Tom’s wife, Carolyn, predeceased him in 1995. He is survived by a daughter, Julie Kelsey, a son, Tom III, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, to all of whom the class extends its sincere sympathy.
The Class of 1938
JOHN BRAYTON JOHNSON ’39
After months of struggle to recover from abdominal surgery, Johnny died at his home in Watertown, N.Y., on May 2, 2001. He had been chairman of the Johnson Newspaper Corp. and editor and publisher of the Watertown Daily Times for 52 years. Taking over the Times in 1949 after the death of his father, he built a media company, buying and upgrading daily and weekly papers in New York state and bringing television to northern New York. He was an officer in the Army’s counter-intelligence service 1942-46. He joined the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 1950 and won the John Peter Zenger Award of the N.Y. Newspaper Publishers Assn. in 1993 in honor of his contributions to the newspaper industry. He was a member of the N.Y. State Dormitory Authority since 1950 and its chairman from 1962-82. He received the Distinguished Citizen Award in 1989 from the State U. of N.Y. and received honorary degrees from St. Lawrence and upstate medical universities.
John and Catherine Common were married in 1941. Catherine and their two sons, two daughters, and eight grandchildren survive. We offer them our sincere sympathy.
The Class of 1939
ROGER A. CALSIBET ’40
Roger died at home in Davidson, N.C., on Nov. 14, 2000. His wife of 58 years, Shirley Maud Harris, was to outlive him by just a few months before she died on Feb. 9, 2001. Roger used to say that they had spent their lifetimes together; he and Shirley were classmates in first grade through high school, marrying upon his graduation from Princeton.
After graduating (AB in chemistry), Roger joined Union Carbide at the Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa., as a research associate. During WWII he served two years as an officer in the Navy. After the war, he resumed his career with Union Carbide as a marketing specialist and manager. He was an active member of a number of professional, athletic and Princeton clubs in the various locations his career took him.
His interests were broad -- reading, theater, dance, music, fishing, sailing, and mobile-making -- but his greatest love was reserved for his family, his church, and the time he spent with Shirley at their “beloved Interlochen lakeside home.”
It is to Roger’s daughters, Jill C. Persichetti, Carol C. Drosdeck, Barbara C. Hess, Linda C. Troutman, their husbands, and his seven grandchildren that his classmates extend their heartfelt condolences.
The Class of 1940
RICHARD E. KOBILAK ’40
Our class lost a “true gentleman” on Apr. 21, 2000. Dick was born in Brooklyn, went to high school in Flushing, became an Eagle Scout, and was an early achiever in whatever he chose. At Princeton he majored in chemistry and premed, rowed with the varsity crew, and was a member of Tower Club. He graduated magna cum laude, having been elected to Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa. Dick graduated from Cornell Medical School in 1943 and served in the Army Medical Corps during WWII. It was while he was interning at Letterman Hospital in San Francisco that he met and married Mary E. Schanz. Following his discharge, the couple returned to the Rochester, N.Y. area. For the next 40 years, Dick practiced as an urological surgeon, was an asst. professor in urological surgery at Strong Memorial, and chief of urology at Highland and Genesee Hospitals.
His wife, Mary, preceded him in death. To his daughters, Linda Barnard, Christine Klemperer, Deborah McLain, and Sandra Pykosz, and 13 grandchildren, his classmates offer their sincere condolences.
The Class of 1940
SPENCER LAWTON ’40
The memorial for Spence by the St. Andrew’s Society of Savannah might have put it best: “In Atlanta on Nov. 1, 1999, after a long illness, Spencer Lawton died. Or, as we can imagine he might have put it, with a wry delight in mixing Othello and H. L. Mencken into a hash of his own making, on that date he departed into this vale of tears.” His wife, Sally Parker Lawton, wrote that Spence “loved Princeton so much, but especially the Class of ’40.” During his long illness she read the PAW Class Notes to him.
Spence prepared at St. Paul’s School and at Princeton majored in economics and was a member of Cottage Club and the crew team. During WWII, Spence attained the rank of major in the Field Artillery and was awarded the Bronze Star. His business career was in investment counseling, later owning Dennison Personnel Consultants.
We will always remember Spence for his deep sense of a moral imperative and ethical integrity, but well salted with a certain irreverence. To his wife, Sally, his daughter, Sarah L. Livingston, his sons, George W. and Spencer Jr., and his three grandchildren, his classmates extend their sincere condolences.
The Class of 1940
PETER PAIGE ’40
From the Long Island Advance: “The flags flew at half mast last week [July 21, 2000] over the Bellport Fire House, the Bellport Yacht Club, and the Brookhaven Natl. Laboratory, as the village and the larger community mourned the passing of Peter Paige. He was a big man with a big heart, generous and compassionate, and if Bellport had royalty, he could have been its benign monarch, ruling from the back deck of the Ollie, his cabin cruiser.”
Peter attended Choate before entering Princeton. After serving with the Army Air Corps Transport Command during WWII, he became one of the first employees of Brookhaven Natl. Laboratory, where he soon became personnel director. He was chairman of the board of Brookhaven Memorial Hospital for many years. The Bellport Bay Yacht Club, where he served as commodore for four years, celebrated him as a “sportsman, raconteur, dog lover, genial host, skipper par excellence, cruising buff, and all-around bon vivant.”
Peter is survived by Natalie Lambing Paige, his wife of 57 years; three sons, Peter O., Douglas W., and Lee A.; seven grandchildren, and two sisters, Mary P. McGuirk and Sheila P. Dominy. To them his classmates extend their sincere condolences.
The Class of 1940
PHILIP OLCOTT STEARNS ’40
Phil died Feb. 11, 2000. He prepared at The Brooks School and at Princeton he lettered in the 150-lb crew, of which he was captain. In addition he had an outstanding record in single sculls. After graduating with honors in art and archaeology, Phil volunteered for duty behind enemy lines in the OSS.
In 1945 Phil stood on a London sidewalk in full uniform but with both arms swathed in bandages. Before him stood a general who had noted his OSS insignia, was lauding his bravery, wishing him a quick recovery from his wounds. The general was not aware that Phil had been the possessor of two very precious bottles of Scotch before he stumbled off the back of a London bus, fell, and cut both arms severely on the broken glass.
He developed a successful career as a photojournalist in England during the 1960s, continuing thereafter back in the States. Phil spent time as photo editor of Penthouse magazine before getting involved with Campaigns magazine as its chief. Thereafter he turned his talented attentions to sculpting, a hobby started in his undergrad days. No kin survives him, but the Class of 1940 inherits special remembrances.
The Class of 1940
NORMAN GEORGE BRINK ’42 *44
Norm died July 28, 2001, in Palm Harbor, Fla. A brilliant research chemist, he devoted his entire career to organic and biochemical research. Retiring from a 36-year association with Merck & Co., he spent four years in the chemistry department at the U. of California, San Diego, serving as a chemistry liaison with the graduate students and helping them decide whether their future would be in industry or academia.
Coming to Princeton from South Denver H.S., Norm majored in chemistry, displaying his potential by winning the Robert Thornton McKay Prize in chemistry and the George B. Wood Legacy Prize. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa junior year, as well as to Sigma Xi, and graduated with highest honors. He stayed on at Princeton after graduation to earn a PhD in 1944 before joining Merck. During his years with Merck he became assistant director of organic and biochemical research and ultimately director of that department. He finished his career there as director of university relations. He loved Princeton and served the class with distinction, following Pete Putnam as head of Planned Giving.
To his wife of 54 years, Bette, the class extends its most sincere condolences.
The Class of 1942
PHILIP WALSH MOORE ’42
Phil died July 18, 2001, in Ponte Vedra, Fla. An internationally recognized financial and valuation consultant for over 50 years, with emphasis in the valuation of intellectual property, including the Zapruder film of the assassination of Pres. Kennedy, he founded First Research Co. in 1950. After selling out to J. & W. Seligman & Co. in 1965, he served as president of Seligman Valuations until his death.
Coming to Princeton from Great Neck [N.Y.] H.S., Phil majored in English, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa junior year, graduated magna cum laude, and was a member of Quadrangle Club. He captained the tennis team senior year, played on the Junior Davis Cup team, and had to decline an invitation to play at Wimbledon because of the war. After serving four years as commanding officer of a sub-chaser, he received an MBA from NYU in 1950. His business and professional organization commitments were many and varied, continuing for his entire career.
To his wife, Phaedra, to his daughter, Jourdan, to his sons, Thomas and Ned, and to his six grandchildren, the class extends its most profound condolences.
The Class of 1942
JOHN EDMUND WHEELAHAN ’42
Ed died July 25, 2001, at Audie Murphy Veterans Administration Hospital in San Antonio, Tex. Born in New Orleans, he lived in San Antonio for 43 years. His business career included retailing with Sears Roebuck and real estate with Trammell Crow Co.
Coming to Princeton from New Orleans Jesuit H.S., Ed left Princeton shortly after Pearl Harbor. Joining the Army Air Corps, he was assigned to the 466th Bomb Group after receiving his wings. He completed 33
missions as pilot of a B-17 that operated out of Adelbridge, England. In our ’42 War Book, he said, “It is difficult to describe the mental strain of continuing to fly mission after mission, long after you figure your time had come.” He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice and the Air Medal. He spent five years on active duty and was discharged in the fall of 1946.
As Ed never married, this memorial is dedicated to the memory of a classmate who served his country in a time of war with valor and distinction.
The Class of 1942
ROBERT C. HOFFMAN ’43
Bob died on Nov. 7, 2000. He was 79.
Born in Hopewell, N.J., he lived in Princeton and graduated from Princeton H.S. in 1939 and from Princeton with a degree in mathematics.
Bob was an Army veteran of WWII. Following the war, he chose the insurance field, finally retiring in 1986 after 41 years at Metropolitan Life in NYC with the rank of vice president.
Bob’s many outside interests included the Society of Actuaries, Princeton’s Tower Club, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and AARP.
He is survived by his wife, the former Sarah McCafferty; two sons, R. Douglas and Stephen; three daughters, Kathleen Lakarosky, Liz Cramp, and Jo Hoffman-Davis; 16 grandchildren, and two great-grand-
children. To the entire family, we extend our most heartfelt sympathies.
The Class of 1943
JAMES J. McCAFFREY ’44
Jim died on July 21, 2001, doing what he loved most, fishing, when he suffered a stroke. He died in Bangor, near his retirement homes in Castine and Blue Hill, Me.
Jim came to Princeton from Andover. He played freshman baseball, but he was stricken with polio his sophomore year; with indomitable spirit, he remained a leader, serving on the Undergraduate and Interclub Councils, the Class Day and Memorial Committees, as news editor of the Daily Princetonian, and as president of Cap & Gown. He roomed with Charlie Richardson, Bob McGiffert, and Art Morgan. He graduated with honors in 1944 and took a summer job with Young & Rubicam. This led to a distinguished career in advertising with Ogilvy & Mather and then with his own agency, McCaffrey & McCall. In retirement he founded the local volunteer ambulance corps, ran for State senate, launched a weekly newspaper, and fished, most enthusiastically, for trout, salmon, and bonefish.
Jim is survived by his wife of 55 years, Geegee, his daughter, Anne Marie (Nancy), three granddaughters, and a sister. The class extends its sympathy to all who held him dear, for he will be sorely missed.
The Class of 1944
W. HEYWARD MYERS III ’44
Woody died on May 14, 2001, after a long battle with lung cancer. He was the son of W. Heyward Myers Jr. ’09 and brother of John T. Myers II ’54.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, he joined our class from Haverford School. He played freshman baseball and was a member of Cottage Club; he roomed in sophomore year with Louis Bell, Aubs Huston, and Matt Ogden before leaving for pilot training in the Army Air Corps. He flew B-25s during two years of duty, received eight Air Medals, and was discharged as a first lieutenant.
After working for Wanamakers he opened his own store for infants’ and children’s apparel; he was also employed by the Lester Piano Company and the Newcomer Society in North America; he retired to Willsboro, N.Y., on the shores of Lake Champlain. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; four children, W. H. IV, Emily, Sarah, and Jonathan; seven grandchildren; his brother; and three sisters, Anne, Katharine, and Polly. To them the class extends its heartfelt sympathies.
Woody will be warmly remembered by many classmates for his sharp sense of humor and his sweet golf swing.
The Class of 1944
ABRAM PAUL FUNKHOUSER ’45
Paul died on July 19, 2000, after battling Alzheimer’s disease. Paul entered Princeton from Woodberry Forest. He served in the Army Chemical Warfare Service. Paul graduated in 1947 magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. He received a law degree from the U. of Virginia, married the former Eleanor Rosalie “Rodie” Gamble of Charlottesville, and joined the Virginia law firm Hunton Williams. He left to join the Norfolk and Western Railway Co. and in 1963 became senior vice president of sales and marketing with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Paul later joined Seaboard Coast Line Railroad and in 1977 became president and CEO. In 1982 Seaboard merged with the Chesapeake & Ohio to form CSX Corp. and Paul assumed the presidency.
Paul retired in 1986 and devoted himself to community service, including the boards of Woodberry Forest, Hollins College, the U. of Va. Darden Graduate Business School, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. In addition to Rodie, Paul is survived by a son, John Paul ’76; a daughter, Eleanor Doar ’79, and her husband Michael Doar ’78; a sister, Mrs. Lewis C. Reid; and six grandchildren, to whom the class expresses its deep sympathy on the loss of an outstanding example of Princeton in the nation’s service.
The Class of 1945
ALEXANDER B. SMYTHE ’46
Sandy died June 27, 2001, of heart failure after bypass surgery. Son of Frank C. Smythe 1894, Sandy grew up in Philadelphia and came to Princeton from Upper Darby H.S. to major in engineering. He served from 1943-46 in the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion in Europe, graduated with honors in 1949, and served in Korea with the 712th Railway Battalion of the 8th Army.
Married to Dorothy Sisson in 1950 (who died in 1972), Sandy continued a railroad and construction career working for Pa. Highways Dept., Reading and Amtrak railroads, and a prestressed concrete firm that constructed the Woodrow Wilson School and the Astrophysics Lab columns at Princeton. He collected model train locomotives avidly.
Sandy retired to Hilton Head Island in 1982 with Virginia Legler, whom he married in 1973. He enjoyed cheering for the Tigers, traveling, and sporting with his two Yorkie dogs. He is survived by Virginia and a stepson, Peter Acker, whom the class joins in mourning a loyal classmate.
The Class of 1946
DAVID B. BAKER JR. ’49
David died Sept. 25, 2000, of heart failure in Easton, Md. He was 73.
He came to Princeton from Gilman and majored in history. He was a member of Cap and Gown Club and served in the Marine Corps. David earned a law degree from the U. of Maryland in 1952, but did not practice.
After graduation from law school David worked in NYC for several years with W. R. Grace Co. in the agricultural chemicals acquisitions division.
He then returned to Baltimore, where he became active in the field of historic preservation. He was the treasurer for the restoration of the historic Paca House in Annapolis and owned Webley, an 18th-century manor house in Wittman, Md., which had been used as a military hospital during the Civil War. He and his wife did extensive work on their home and showed it during many historic homes tours.
In addition to his wife, Eleanor, he is survived by a son, David B. III, a daughter, Nina Ross, a sister, and four grandchildren. The class extends its sympathy to them on their loss.
The Class of 1949
JOHN BERTON CLEMENT JR. ’49
John died Nov. 4, 2000. The cause of death is unknown; he was 73.
He prepared for Princeton at Moorestown Friends School, majored in politics, and belonged to Terrace Club. After graduation he was in the abstract and title business in New Jersey and then in Florida. In 1955 he married Ann McKenzie, and together they had a daughter, Ainsley. John’s hobby was sailing. Class contact with Jack was lost after our 10th reunion.
He is survived by his daughter, Ainsley, to whom the class extends its deepest sympathy.
The Class of 1949
WILLIAMS PAYNE FULTON ’49
Bill died Dec. 28, 2000, of heart failure. He was 73.
He prepared for Princeton at Gilman and served in the Navy from 1945-46. At Princeton he majored in politics and was a member of Orange Key and Cap and Gown Club. He graduated from the U. of Maryland Law School in 1953.
Bill spent most of his working career with Rouse Co. and was involved in land acquisition for malls and for the major new town of Columbia, Md. He retired from Rouse in 1986 and worked as a real estate consultant. In 1987 he opened the Sunburst Shopping Center in Cambridge, Md.
He is survived by his wife, Melissa; three sons, Williams P. Jr., George A., and Brant R.; three daughters, Leasha C., Jessica F. Samet, and Victoria M.; a brother, a sister, and two grandchildren. The class extends its condolences to them on their loss.
The Class of 1949
S. PARKER OLIPHANT ’49
Parker died Jan. 15, 2001, in Washington, DC of myelodisplastic syndrome. He was 73. He prepared for Princeton at St. Albans School and at Princeton he received a BSE in civil engineering. He belonged to Dial Lodge and served as a member of the board of directors of the Princeton Club of Washington.
Parker went to work for the William P. Lipscomb Co. after graduation and bought the commercial and residential construction firm in 1971. At the time of his death he was its board chairman. He also served as board chairman of the Columbia Hospital for Women and was a board member of the Children’s Hospital, the Natl. Presbyterian School, the Textile Museum, and the Metropolitan Club, all in Washington. He was president of the Spring Valley - Wesley Heights Citizens’ Assn. in Washington as well.
Parker is survived by his wife of almost 40 years, Martha; two sons, Leonard C. and Samuel D.; and two brothers. The class extends its deepest sympathies to them all on the loss of this very civic-minded man.
The Class of 1949
WILLIAM ANDREW BUXTON ’61
Bill died on June 25, 2000, at his home in Gaithersburg, Md., after a long bout with prostate cancer of which only those closest to him were aware until the last. Indeed, he remained active until the day he died.
Born in Chicago in 1939, Bill came to Princeton from Evanston Township H.S. At Princeton he was an English major and a member of Quadrangle Club. Senior year he roomed with Mahlon Jones, Contee Seeley, Bill Rough, Hal Lackey, Dick Webster, and Dave Palmer.
Following Princeton he attended graduate school, followed by military service, and then a career as a technical writer and developer of computer-based program instructions, including a three-year tour in Germany in the ’70s under contract to the U.S. Army. In a eulogy a friend said, “He really understood what he was writing about, such that he often helped the engineers to better understand their own projects.”
In 1964 Bill married Jo Alice Royall, who survives him, as do his daughter Jennifer, son-in-law Peter, and granddaughter Julia. We join them in their sorrow.
The Class of 1961
F. FREDERICK KENNEDY JR. ’64
Fred died of a heart attack in his hometown of Augusta, Ga., on Dec. 2, 2000. He was 57.
Born in Augusta, Fred was a graduate of the Darlington School in Rome, Ga. At the time of his death, he was serving as chairman of Darlington’s board of trustees.
Fred attended Washington & Lee U. for a year, then transferred to Princeton, where he majored in economics and joined Key & Seal. An Army ROTC cadet, he was commissioned at graduation and fought during the Vietnam War, rising to the rank of captain. He was the recipient of a Bronze Star.
Fred graduated from Harvard Law School, practiced in Augusta, and then founded CSRA Cablevision and Kennedy Broadcasting, which operated a local radio station. He was always active in his community, especially in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Georgia. He was also president of the Southern Cable Television Assn.
It was always fun to see Fred and Jackie at Reunions and at one of our first 1964 mini-reunions in Williamsburg. To Jackie and their sons, Frederick and Andrew, the class extends its condolences on the passing of a devoted husband and father, a generous civic leader, and a devoted Princetonian.
The Class of 1964
GEORGE HOLT BLAUSTEIN ’68
George died at home in Racine, Wis., on Feb. 27, 2001, after an 11-month battle with metastatic colon cancer. He was 55.
George was born in Brooklyn and came to Princeton from Erasmus Hall. At Princeton, he majored in architecture and was in Cannon Club. He received his master’s in architecture from Syracuse U.
George was passionate about architecture and active in his community, serving as chairman of the Racine Landmarks Preservation Commission and many other architecturally related boards. He coached his children’s softball and basketball teams and loved playing the piano. His greatest coup was saving a three-story, 4,500-sq.-ft. English Tudor home from the wrecking ball and making it his family’s home.
His sense of humor was exquisite; a favorite word was “perf,” followed by peals of laughter. His imitations of George of the Jungle were unsurpassed, and who can forget “Baldheaded Lena”?
Above all, George was unconditionally devoted to his family. Part of him remains; the children have all been blessed with their father’s sense of humor. To George’s widow, Debbie, and children, Jessica, Elizabeth, and George Jr., the class extends its deepest sympathies. We shall all miss this very special man.
The Class of 1968
