July 2, 2003: Memorials

George D. Strayer Jr. ’27

G. D. died of pneumonia after a brief illness Mar. 26, 2003, in Seattle. Born in NYC, he prepared for Princeton at Horace Mann School. At Princeton he rowed on the junior varsity crew. He followed his father into a career in higher education, earning a master’s and PhD at Columbia, then teaching at Peabody Teacher’s College at Indiana U., and eventually at the U. of Washington, where he distinguished himself as a professor of educational administration. He was involved in naval training programs during WWII. He served a term as secretary-treasurer of the National Education Assn., of which he was a lifetime member, and wrote several works on matters relating to educational administration. He assumed lay leadership responsibilities as a Presbyterian, enjoyed salmon fishing, reading, and walking, and continued to play tennis well into his later years.

G. D. was one of four brothers, two of whom were Princeton academicians: Joseph, professor of history and chairman of the history department for more than 20 years; and Paul, professor of economics. G. D.’s wife, Mabel, died in 1985. He is survived by his daughter, Joanne Strayer King.

The Class of 1927

LAIRD C. SIMONS ’28

Laird died Dec. 25, 2002, in Denver; he was 96. He was born in Philadelphia and attended Germantown Friends School. He followed his two older brothers, Jack ’24 and Dain ’26, to Princeton. At Princeton he was a member of Cap and Gown and of the football, soccer, and gymnastic teams. “Si” acquired one half of a Princeton bell clapper during his four years, and it is now in the possession of his nephew.

Laird married Ella Louise Fraser in 1940. During WWII, Laird served in the Pacific aboard a minesweeper. After the war he and Louise settled in Sewickley, Pa., where he was active in Sewickley Presbyterian Church. He spent most of his working life in the divisional sales department of the A & P Tea Co.

Laird is survived by two children, Susan and Robert, and by two grandchildren, Alexandra and Jon Simons. He is remembered for his steady and reliable good nature, generous spirit, and enjoyment of the pleasures of family and friends.

The Class of 1928

Henry B. Wilson ’28

Henry died Mar. 1, 2003, after a short illness. About halfway through his time at Princeton, his interest in the oil business prompted him to transfer to the U. of Oklahoma, from which he graduated in 1929 with a degree in petroleum engineering. He was married the day after graduation and went to work the day after that for the Standard Oil Co. (now Exxon Mobil Corp.) in New Jersey. He was with the corporation in one capacity or another for his entire 40-year business career. During WWII he served with Army Ordnance and left the service with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

His wife, Nell Fugina Wilson, predeceased him. Surviving are two daughters, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Henry was vice president of the class when he died. He treasured the long-lasting friendships he made at Princeton, and the class extends deepest sympathy to his family.

The Class of 1928

WILLIAM CROLL KELLER ’29

Bill died Feb. 22, 2003. He prepared for Princeton at Mercersburg Academy. At Princeton he was a member of Court Club. He was a retired vice president of Common-wealth National Bank in Harrisburg, Pa.

Bill was involved in many civic organizations. He was a former treasurer and member of the board of Harrisburg Hospital, a trustee of Seidle Memorial Hospital, and past president of the Harrisburg Chapter of the American Institute of Banking. He was active in the Greater Harrisburg Foundation, the Dauphin County Historical Society, and the Tuesday Club. He was a trustee of the George L. Fisher Foundation and a member of the vestry of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, of which his ancestors were founding members. He was secretary/treasurer of the board for Homeland and a supporter of numerous animal welfare groups.

He was predeceased by his wife, Esther Anne Wright Keller. Surviving are three sons, William, Richard, and Christian E.; two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth; and five grandchildren. To all of them, the class extends its deep sympathy.

The Class of 1929

George S. Flowers ’31

George died Mar. 14, 2002; he was 93. He was a graduate of Exeter, and at Princeton he was on the track team and a member of Gateway Club. He worked for Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford, Conn. as an inspection supervisor; he retired in 1971 after 30 years of service. He was a 55-year resident of Warehouse Point, Conn.

George is survived by his wife of 64 years, Lucille, three daughters, two grandsons, and two great-granddaughters. To his family, the class offers its sincere condolences.

The Class of 1931

George W. Bogar Jr. ’32

George died Apr. 11, 2003, in the Carlisle [Pa.] Regional Medical Center; he was 94. He was a graduate of Mercersburg Academy. His comments in our 25-year book: “Opinion of Princeton — immensely wonderful. Princeton in good hands, always becoming greater!”

After graduation he worked for Rawling Sporting Goods for 47 years. During WWII he served on the USS Franklin aircraft carrier in the Pacific theater. He was a 50-year member of the American Legion Post #101 in Carlisle. He was a life member of the American Football Coaches Assn. and was inducted into the South Central Chapter of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 1991; he was a lifelong sports enthusiast.

George is survived by his wife of 72 years, Helen Condren Bogar; two sons, George III and William; daughters Susan Mercker, Betsy Kent, and Robin Spendley; brother John; 12 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

The Class of 1932

Ovid Rose ’33

Ovid died at his home in Grass Valley, Calif., Oct. 5, 2002. He was 92. After he graduated from Princeton, he received a law degree from Harvard, and then practiced law in LA, until he entered the Army Signal Corps in 1941. On discharge, as captain, he began a practice specializing in workers’ compensation. He was attorney for the State of California for more than 25 years, and he was judge of the Workers’ Compensation Court. In 1970, Gov. Reagan appointed him a commissioner on the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. Ovid retired in 1975.

Ovid was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a past president of the American Legion. He was a gardener and enjoyed tennis, dancing, and golf. When his first wife, Esther Feinberg, died, he married Fern DeSoto, who survives him. Other survivors include his sons, Rodney and Victor, daughter Abbey McClelland, 12 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and several great-great-grandchildren. Ovid will be missed by his wonderfully large family and many friends.

The Class of 1933

Malcolm Guerin Van Arsdale Jr. ’36

Van died of congestive heart failure Dec. 11, 2002; a resident of Sarasota, Fla., he was 88.

A graduate of Lawrenceville, where he was on the track team and in the drama club, Van withdrew from Princeton during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Subsequently he joined the Merchant Marine. During his business career he was a leader of product development of fibers and their applications in the knitting industry.

He was always active in the communities in which he lived, including serving as chairman of the Bergen County [N.J.] Boy Scout Council, the Ridgewood [N.J.] United Way, and as board member of Manatee Community College in Sarasota. Van served the Church of the Redeemer [Episcopal] of Sarasota in many capacities. He was a founder of Sarasota’s First Step, and chairman of the local Intergroup of AA. He was a member of the American Bridge League. At one time he was a scratch golfer.

Van is survived by his wife, Barbara, daughter Dona Jones, sons Malcolm III and John, stepson Andrew Preston, and four grandchildren.

The Class of 1936

Russell Wait Buddington ’37

Russ died Dec. 9, 2002, in Vero Beach, Fla. He came to Princeton from Lake Forest Academy. Russ was a history major, received a letter for JV basketball, and served as manager and treasurer of Charter Club.

He served 27 months in the Navy, rising from ensign to lieutenant jg. His business life included executive positions in insurance companies, president of Buffalo [N.Y.] Envelope Co., and president of Roger Converse Realtors in Marion, Mass.

Russ is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mary H. Porter, son Bruce, daughter Barbara Angle, five grandchildren, and the widow of his brother, Wells ’42. The class extends its deepest condolences to his family.

The Class of 1937

Joseph Osborne Whiteley Jr. ’37

Joe died from Alzheimer’s Mar. 4, 2003, at Sequoias retirement community in Portola Valley, Calif. He came from York, Pa., the son of Joseph Whiteley ’11, to Lawrenceville. He was on the swim team there and continued to swim at Princeton all four years. His entire life, Joe was proud of the letter he earned on the team. He majored in chemistry, graduating with honors.

After graduation, Joe worked for Dentists’ Supply Co. in NYC. He served as an air navigator in the Navy Air Transport Service in the Pacific from 1942-46. Having developed a fondness for California, he stayed on the West Coast and was with FMC Corp. in San Jose, in the ordnance division, procurement, until he retired in 1971. After retirement, Joe was a community volunteer, a golfer, and traveler.

His beloved wife of over 60 years, Patricia, survives, as do his three children, Peter, Judith Morris, and Pamela Forde, and five grandchildren.

The Class of 1937

DANIEL PARKE LIEBLICH ’38

Dan died at his home in Palm Beach, Fla., Feb. 11, 2003. Born and raised in Paterson, N.J., Dan prepared at the Hun School. At Princeton he majored in politics, earning departmental honors. During WWII he became a lieutenant colonel in the Eighth Air Force and later retired as a full colonel in the Air Force Reserve.

Postwar, Dan graduated from Yale Law School. Cofounding the firm Lieblich and Cole, he practiced corporate law for many years in Paterson. In 1957 he established and was CEO of a public hospitality corporation, which became Treadway Companies, and later served as chairman of its board. In 1983, Dan was elected president of ’38. He also served from 1991-96 as president of the Princeton Club of New York. Among his charitable and civic interests were the Hun School, Princeton, Barnert Temple in Paterson, and Monmouth Medical Center.

Dan’s wife, the former Manette Neuman, predeceased him in 2002. He is survived by two daughters, Nancy Bracken Garson and Lynn Jeffery, five grandchildren, and two sisters, to all of whom the class extends deep sympathy.

The Class of 1938

Donald Lapham Mygatt ’39

Don, stricken with Alzheimer’s, had been in a nursing home in Bellevue, Wash. for the last two years, and died there Mar. 5, 2003. He left Princeton at the end of freshman year to become a salesman for Texaco and married Mary Olive “Winnie” Winslow in 1940. He joined the Air Force in 1942. At war’s end he returned to Texaco. His grandfather, Lewis Lapham, was one of its founders. But flying was truly the centerpiece of Don’s life. He had been awarded a Silver Star for bravery while flying a P38 Lightning with the 367th fighter group over Germany.

Don moved to Bellevue in 1951, and after 25 years with Texaco he chose to leave and set up his own investment firm. He told us he enjoyed those years of self-employment. “We like our way of life out here in the great Northwest, living in our waterfront home. I still own the Beechcraft Bonanza I’ve had for 25 years and fly it regularly.” He also built and flew model seaplanes and helicopters at his home on Lake Sammamish.

To Winnie and their daughters, Suzanne and Monika, we offer our sincere sympathy.

The Class of 1939

Richard Woodruff Jacobus ’40

Dick died Mar. 10, 2003, at the Mobile Infirmary in Alabama. The Newark Star-Ledger obituary identified him as a Princeton graduate of ’41, but in all of the past Heralds, reunion books, and records, there is Dick Jacobus ’40. We are proud to claim and honor him as our own.

Dick prepared at Blair Academy. At Princeton he majored in politics and was a member of Cloister Inn, rooming with Frank Lockhart. He graduated from the Army’s Command and General Staff School in 1945, after serving in the Army Signal Corps as a captain in India, where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Burma Star. He also served in the Army Reserve until 1953, and was a life member of the China-Burma-India Organization.

He joined Prudential Insurance Co. in 1947, working as a group representative and account executive for 35 years. Dick was an avid fisherman, golfer, and saltwater skipper, as well as a member of the US Power Squadron. He was proud of his active family —“all beauties.”

His classmates extend their sincere condolences to his wife of 56 years, Ellen Gillespie Cook Jacobus; his daughters, Dawn, Susanne Howarth, Faire Feaz, Linda Applegate, Wendy Matrisciano, and Lori Crawford; a son, Thomas; a sister, Norma Riddle; 21 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

The Class of 1940

Harold Leslie Myers Jr. ’40

Hal died Apr. 21, 2003, in Columbus, Ohio, after suffering a series of strokes over a four-year period.

Hal prepared at Philips Exeter Academy, and at Princeton majored in English. He was well remembered for leading the band on field as the drum major. He also was a member of the Princeton Tiger Orchestra and Dial Lodge. He earned a master’s of divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was active in the Maritime Service from 1942-44, continuing his membership in the Navy Reserve for many years.

Called to Covenant Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Ohio, and then to the First Presbyterian Church in Morristown, N.J., Hal remained active and was honored for his work in community, educational, and church affairs: he received a doctor of divinity from Bloomfield College; was a board member of Blair Academy; and was a member of the Nat’l Board of Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church, the YMCA board, the Lions Club and Rotary Club — leaving little time for his hobbies, golf and stamp collecting.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jean Bruen Myers; daughters Judith Hoffhine and Martha Albershardt; a sister, Carrel Pray; a brother, William; five grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; and many nieces and nephews. To them all, Hal’s classmates extend their deepest sympathies.

The Class of 1940

Peter Michael Dean ’41

Pete died Jan. 28, 2003, of cancer. A lifelong resident of Greenwich, Conn., he came to us from Choate. In college he majored in biology and was a member of Cap & Gown.

Pete won numerals on the freshman 150-lb. crew, rowed on the varsity 150-lb. crew all three years, and in his senior year was captain and winner of the W. Lyman Biddle Medal for good sportsmanship in rowing. He roomed with McNeill freshman year; sophomore year with M. C. Stevens; junior year with Stevens and S. D. Wright; and senior year with Stevens and Wainwright.

Pete attended the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and received his medical degree in 1945. He served in the Navy Medical Corps during WWII. He started his practice in Greenwich in 1950, but was interrupted for service in the Navy Medical Corps during the Korean War. He served as neurologist in the Portsmouth, Va., Naval Hospital until his discharge in 1954.

In the 1960s he formed the Greenwich Medical Group with three other physicians, retiring in 1987. He was on the teaching house staff at Greenwich Hospital and on the Yale faculty.

Predeceased by his wife, Virginia, whom he married in 1944, Pete is survived by his two daughters, Virginia Dean and Susan Gallagher, and two grandchildren.

The Class of 1941

J. PACKARD LAIRD ’42

Packy, an innovative engineer and later in life a minister and spiritual leader, died Mar. 23, 2003, at home in Santa Fe, N.Mex. He attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va. At Princeton, Packy majored in mechanical engineering. His senior thesis on motorcycle dynamics won the top undergraduate award of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was a member of Tower Club and our famous “Dog Patch” gang in 1901 Hall. In 1944 he married Frances S. Swan; they had three children.

After two years as ensign in the special devices division of the Navy, Packy joined DuPont, where he was one of the early pioneers in the applications and development of analog computers. He won several awards for his inventions.

Following early retirement in 1971, Packy, to the amazement of many of his friends and classmates, trained as a minister and spiritual healer. For 30 years he taught homeopathy, herbology, and alternative therapies. He and his second wife, Margie (who predeceased him), founded the Love Healing Group in Wilmington, and were affiliated with the I AM sanctuaries in Philadelphia and Santa Fe and with spiritual healers in the Philippines.

To his wife, Nicole Serpe Laird; his children, Tillie Brown, Frances Johnson ’80, and Clinton; and six grandchildren, the class expresses its condolences.

The Class of 1942

George Miller Chester ’44

George, a lifelong resident of Milwaukee, died in Scottsdale, Ariz., Mar. 9, 2003, of complications from cancer.

At Princeton, where his father was ’17 and a brother ’46, George majored in politics, was editorial editor of the Daily Princetonian, and was on the crew, polo team, and a member of Colonial Club. He roomed with Jackson Johnson and John Holt Myers. Graduating in 1943, he then saw 3 1/2 years of Army service, rising to captain, and was awarded the Army Air Medal; he was recalled for a year for the Korean conflict.

George graduated from Harvard Law School and was a partner in Foley & Lardner, a firm where his grandfather, great-grand-father, and great-uncle had also been partners. He served many directorships, including Northwest Mutual Life, the Heil Co., and Sandusky Int’l., and was president of Wisconsin Securities of Delaware and of T.A. Chapman Co. He was AG chair for ’44 and a special gifts solicitor. His memberships included the Society of the Cincinnati and the Oconomowoc Lake Club. He loved the outdoors, hiking, flying, and bobsledding.

George is survived by Margaret, his wife of 57 years; their four children, George ’69, Laura, Cia ’76, and David; 13 grandchildren, and, as his son George noted, “almost as many horses and llamas.”

The Class of 1944

JOHN O. DOZIER ’44

Jack died Dec. 25, 2002, of bone cancer in St. Louis, his lifetime home. After St. Mark’s school, at Princeton he majored in psychology and was a member of Cottage Club. His roommates were Jackson Johnson, Bob Kean, Henry Patterson, Tom Wellington, George Chester, and Jim Cobbs. He graduated in 1943, was commissioned in the Army, and was discharged as a first lieutenant.

He married Polly McMahon, who died in 1971. He joined Columbia Motor Service in St. Louis, rising to become its president. He purchased Oberjuenge Rubber Distributing Co., carrying Goodyear and Worthington products, and retired in 1989.

Jack was active in the St. Louis Princeton Club. He had a passion for tennis, which he had to give up for golf after a knee problem. He had an interest in conservative causes, including Barry Goldwater’s candidacy and the Leadership Institute of Arlington, Va.

Jack’s second wife, Catherine, also predeceased him. He is survived by his third wife, Marjorie; his children Evelyn, John Jr., Lisa, Rosemarie, and Catherine; and his daughter-in-law, Margaret ’81; to them all, his classmates extend their sincere sympathy.

The Class of 1944

JAMES L. TITCHENER ’44

Jim, who had been suffering from Parkinson’s, died Feb. 28, 2003. Raised in Binghamton, N.Y., he was active at Princeton in varsity track as a distance runner and in many intramural sports. He was a member of Quadrangle Club and roomed with Bob Osborn junior year. After three years in the service he returned to graduate in economics in 1946, and then went to Duke Medical School; he commenced psychiatric training but was recalled for the Korean conflict, ending with the rank of captain.

Jim was professor of psychiatry at Cincinnati U.’s College of Medicine; his special field was psychiatric trauma, and his work won him awards from the US Public Health Service. He testified as an expert witness as to the effects on survivors of the Beverly Hills Supper Club and the Buffalo Creek disasters.

He was an avid sailboat racer, and took part in regattas in Thistles on Acton Lake. His first wife, Antoinette, a physician, died in 1982; he is survived by their son, Paul; daughters Patricia, Jennifer, and Antoinette; two grandsons; and by his wife, Judy, who is also a physician. They have the sympathetic regards of his Princeton classmates.

The Class of 1944

Arthur Bryant Whitcomb ’46

A. B. died Mar. 8, 2003, at home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., with his beloved Meg holding his hand.

Arriving from Choate, he roomed with Bud Scott, Herman Froeb, Ben Britt, and Meatball Shannon. Duty with the Air Corps was cut short by a bad lung, so he returned to Princeton, rooming with Don O’Connor, Bill Litchfield, Dixie Walker, and Bill Baird.

A. B. was on the lacrosse team, an Ivy Club member, and cochairman of the class memorial insurance committee. In later years he was ’46’s treasurer and vice president. His career in advertising sales included being US advertising director of the International Herald Tribune, advertising director of Life Int’l., and vice president and advertising director of Vision, an international Spanish language business magazine.

Choate’s yearbook has “one-liners” over pictures of the graduating class. A. B.’s was “A giving heart deserves fair praise.” This is engraved on his tombstone. Add a boundless love of life and of people and one only touches on why A. B.’s friends were legion. To A. B.’s children, Michael, Lindsay, Bruce, Mary, Glenny, and Arthur Jr., and to Meg, the class extends its heartfelt sympathy.

The Class of 1946

HAROLD W. HOLLY ’47

Bill’s Princeton days and career reflect themes of our war-torn class’s history. He joined Princeton’s Marine V-12 unit in Sept. 1944 — just as many of us were leaving the campus. He graduated in June 1946 — just as many began to return. Like many of us, Bill met his future bride, Eleanor “El” Wilson, while at Princeton and married her upon graduation. And like many, he was called back for service during the Korean War. Thereafter, he earned a PhD in chemistry from Rutgers, joined American Cyanamid, and settled near Princeton. Sadly, El died in 1963. Seeking a “new start,” Bill and the children moved to California. He married Ann Kuhar in 1983, became a respected forensic chemist in the courts, and a passionate golfer.

Bill often talked of “going back” to a reunion, but alas, never did. Yet he recounted fond memories of college days, which nourished his enduring love of music and learning — legacies now cherished by his family. He is remembered as a principled, straight-arrow guy whose life epitomized those qualities of civic virtue we like to ascribe to our generation. Regrettably, news of Bill’s death (in June 2000) came late to us, but we now extend warm love to Ann and the family.

The Class of 1947

Edward V. Dillon ’48

The class has lost a kind, wise, and courageous friend with Ned’s death Jan. 23, 2002. He died of heart failure. Ned was a graduate of Haverford School. At Princeton he was a member of Cloister, played 150-lb. football, and graduated with a degree in psychology. His medical degree in 1952 was from the U. of Pennsylvania Medical School. In 1955 he and Anne Carpenter were married.

He was a distinguished surgeon at the Bryn Mawr Hospital and taught at Jefferson Medical College until he retired in 1990. He was a fellow at the Lahey Clinic and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In addition to Anne, Ned is survived by three sons, Edward ’81, Eugene, and Richard. The class offers them its condolences.

The Class of 1948

David Woodruff Romig ’48

With the death of David Oct. 11, 2002, after a long battle with prostate cancer, the class lost a distinguished dominie. From undergraduate days through 50 years of ordained ministry, David’s leadership and scholarship were enhanced by subtle wit, unflagging courage, and boundless curiosity. His prayers and sermons comforted, delighted, and challenged listeners with memorable phrases, polished gems of expression.

David served churches in Riverdale, N.Y., the Lower East Side of NYC, and for many years the Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, N.Y. He was the first of our class to be arrested for civil disobedience in the struggle for racial justice. Perhaps his proudest legacy was the founding of the Lower East Side Service Center in 1959, to this day a major force in the work to reduce addictions.

David was a graduate of Groton. At Princeton he won the Pyne Prize and the 1901 Medal. He served as chairman of the Undergraduate Council and president of the Student Christian Assn. He performed with Triangle, sang with the Nassoons, ran varsity track, and was a member of Ivy.

He is survived by Victoria, his wife of 51 years, their seven children, and his brother, Edgar ’42. He is sorely missed.

The Class of 1948

WILLIAM F. BOHNER ’49

Bill died Mar. 13, 2003; he was 75. He prepared for Princeton at Choate, and at Princeton he majored in geology. He was a varsity soccer player and a member of the skeet club and Whig-Clio.

Bill spent his working career on Wall Street, starting as a floor trader on the American Exchange and retiring with a seat on the N.Y. Stock Exchange in 1996. He kept a hunting lodge in upstate New York, and a home in Westhampton. Bill was an avid skier, fisherman, hunter, hiker, and all-around outdoorsman. His friends also remember him as a devoted husband and father.

He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Virginia, who was also his frequent date at Princeton. They had seven children, Susan, William, Marion, Mark, Laura, Robert, and Patricia; and 10 grandchildren. The class extends its deepest condolences to them on their great loss.

The Class of 1949

ANDREW G. F. DINGWALL ’49

Andy died Feb. 24, 2003. He was 75 and had been suffering from dementia. Andy prepared for Princeton at Exeter. At Princeton he majored in basic engineering and graduated with honors. He sang with the choir and was a member of Terrace Club.

Andy was a Fulbright scholar who earned four master’s degrees and a doctorate from the U. of Sheffield in England. He spent his entire working career with RCA Laboratories (now Sarnoff Corp.) or related companies, and held more than 100 patents. He was a materials expert and was on the team that created the metal oxide semiconductor. He then specialized in microprocessor circuitry. One of his circuits was used in the Galileo satellite. The Pioneer satellite featured a silicon germanium alloy he invented. Andy was a fellow of the Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers and was elected to the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame in 1991.

Andy is survived by his wife, Virginia; two sons, Andrew and David; a stepdaughter, Carol Meeker; stepsons A. Ross Meeker III and Gregory Meeker; and five step-grandchildren. The class extends its sympathy to them on the loss of this creative and kind gentleman and loyal classmate.

The Class of 1949

RICHARD E. LOW ’49

Dick died Jan. 15, 2003; he was 74. He prepared for Princeton at Forest Hills HS. At Princeton he majored in history and graduated summa cum laude. Dick was research editor of the Hallmark, president of the National Affairs Club, and a member of the governing council of Whig-Clio.

After graduation, Dick received a PhD in economics from Harvard and a law degree from NYU. He worked in the foreign policy department of the US Chamber of Commerce. He then served on the faculty at Penn State and Rutgers, and in the 1970s he joined the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, where he stayed for the next 21 years. He was handicapped by poor health for most of his working life. He retired from the U. of Wellington in the late 1990s, and spent his last years in Pawtucket, R.I.

Dick never married. He is survived by one brother, Yehuda Lev, of Providence, R.I., to whom we extend our deep sympathies.

The Class of 1949

KENNETH M. MITCHELL ’49 *51

Ken died Feb. 10, 2003; he was 76. He prepared for Princeton at Westfield [N.J.] HS and while at Princeton majored in architecture. He continued on at Princeton for a master’s in the same field. During WWII he served in the Army Air Corps. He was a member of Triangle Club, the Princeton Tigers Dance Band, and of Quadrangle Club.

For a number of years after graduation, Ken worked in a large architectural firm in NYC on large projects until he decided to open a small practice in Red Bank, N.J. This gave him the time he wanted to continue his hobby of painting and exhibiting his work. He and his wife, Jean, who predeceased him, enjoyed sailing and boating together at the Jersey shore and in Florida.

Ken is survived by two sisters, Mary L. Bickett and Sally Ann Peterson. The class extends to them its deepest sympathy.

The Class of 1949

JAMES HENRY MCGRAW III ’50

Jim died of a heart attack in Hobe Sound, Fla., Feb. 12, 2003, two days before his 75th birthday.

Coming from Deerfield, Jim majored in chemistry, was on the Nassau Lit business board, and belonged to Cottage Club. After Princeton, he received a master’s in industrial management from MIT.

He served as an Air Force lieutenant from 1953-55, then joined the Old Town Corp., where he was elected president in 1960, and remained as CEO until 1966. He became involved with educational services until 1970, when he started a company that published books and music and produced films and music tapes. He later worked as a private investor.

A longtime resident of Short Hills, N.J., Jim summered in Lake Placid, which he first visited 70 years ago. His father, James ’15, was president of McGraw-Hill; his grandfather had founded the company. An accomplished musician and songwriter, Jim wrote at our 25th that he enjoyed “playing the piano whenever asked, and often when not.” Along with music, his passions were his family and his golden retrievers.

We extend condolences to his wife, Allola; daughter Virginia; sons James, Scott, David; and eight grandchildren.

The Class of 1950

William Moore Van Cleve ’50

Bill died in his hometown, St. Louis, Feb. 28, 2003, of complications from chronic heart disease. Coming from Andover, he majored in economics, then entered Washington U. Law School. Three years later he finished law school, received an Army commission, and married Georgia Dunbar.

In 1958 he joined Bryan Cave as its 13th lawyer, became managing partner in 1973, and chairman in 1988. Bill guided the firm’s growth to become Missouri’s largest, now with 750 lawyers worldwide.

Bill served Princeton on the Committee to Nominate Alumni Trustees and as president of the Princeton Club of St. Louis. He encouraged Sen. Bill Bradley ’65 to attend Princeton and became his lawyer, counselor, and friend.

Bill’s church, civic, and board activities were many. He was dedicated to Washington U., serving 18 years on the board of trustees, chairing it for two years, and leading the search for the university’s 14th chancellor. The university bestowed an honorary doctorate of laws upon him in 2001.

Our sympathy goes to Bill’s wife, Georgia; his four children, Peter ’80, Robert ’82, Sally ’84, Emory ’87; brother Robert ’54; sister Cornelia; and seven grandchildren.

The Class of 1950

Robert Richard Abel ’52

Just five weeks after diagnosis, Bob died Oct. 31, 2002, from acute myelogenous leukemia and complications of chemotherapy. At his funeral he was remembered for his devotion to his family, community, and profession.

A loyal son of New Jersey, Bob grew up in Elizabeth, and returned for a distinguished 40-year career as a dermatologist. At Princeton he majored in biology and belonged to Court Club. He graduated from Cornell Medical College in 1956 and completed a residency in dermatology in 1959. Bob and fellow medical student Helen Carter married in 1957. Soon after separation from the Army in 1962, Bob became clinical assistant professor at the Cornell Medical School.

Frequent visitors to the campus, Bob and Helen attended our 50th with two of their children and all five grandchildren. The plaid clothing made by their daughter, Alice, for the 25th was worn by the grandchildren at the 50th. Bob’s work to protect 10 acres of land near their second home in Amagansett, N.Y., was celebrated by the Peconic Land Trust.

In addition to Helen, Bob is survived by his children, Kathryn, Carter ’85, and Alice, and five grandchildren. We extend to them our profound condolences.

The Class of 1952

Robert Livingston Pell ’55

Robin died of lung cancer Feb. 3, 2003. For his first 15 years out of Princeton, Robin worked in the public sector. He was drafted into the Army and served in Germany. He worked for the NY Times, first in NYC and then in DC. After further reporting for DC’s Evening Star, he joined John F. Kennedy’s campaign for president and then the transition team. Afterwards, he worked as a legislative assistant to Massachusetts Sen. Ben Smith.

When Smith left office, Robin went to the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs. As the war in Vietnam moved to center stage, Robin became a press officer for the Agency for Int’l. Development, serving for four years in Vietnam.

For the next 30-some years, Robin worked in the arts at the National Gallery. He then was involved in the art scene in Keene Valley and the Lake Placid region of New York. Robin served on the Lake Placid Center, the Lake Placid Institute, and the Keene Valley Library. In 1993 he married Anitra Christoffel Pell.

Robin leaves his wife, his extended family, and his many friends from Princeton and St. Mark’s School. He was a dedicated and thoughtful friend who kept in touch with many of us. We will miss him.

The Class of 1955

Edward Hale Kendall IV ’59

Ed, a man of many parts and two lives, died June 3, 2002, in Mineola, N.Y., of a heart attack.

Raised in NYC, Ed prepared for Princeton at the Manlius School. At Princeton he served on the Undergraduate Council and the Orange Key, and was a member of Cap & Gown, the 21 Club, and the Kingston Inn. He majored in politics and completed a practicum on bridge and poker.

Following graduation, Ed became a stockbroker and an amateur actor, first in NYC, then in Winter Haven, Fla. After his first marriage to Ulla Westin of Sweden ended in divorce, he returned to the Northeast and, with his second wife, Lea, began his second life. He lived in Allentown, Pa., in southern New Jersey, and finally on the North Fork of Long Island. He worked in human services, managing a girls’ club and doing drug and alcohol counseling. For a time he also operated a modeling school; most recently he and Lea had established and operated Kendall Care, which provided in-home pet care.

Ed is survived by his wife, Lea; his son, Thomas; and his daughters, Rebecca and Wendy Biser, to all of whom we send our condolences.

The Class of 1959

Michael A. Pané IV ’64

Michael died Jan. 12, 2003. He had shown courage and resilience battling coronary artery disease and cancer.

Michael attended the Hill School and spent a year at Marlborough College before entering Princeton with the Class of ’65. He moved up to ’64 at the end of his first year. As president of Whig-Clio, he reformed its governance, widened its appeal, and increased Whig-Clio’s profile on campus, not least by sponsoring lectures by Vietnam’s Madame Nhu and the segregationist governor of Mississippi, Ross Barnett.

Graduating with honors from the Woodrow Wilson School after only three years, Michael was awarded the Daily Princetonian Prize. He was a member of Campus Club junior year and later chose to be independent.

He attended Harvard Law School, married the former Frances Heckert, and moved back to the Princeton area to work with the New Jersey County and Municipal Government Study Commission. His interest in politics and recognition of the maxim “all politics is local” led to an increasing involvement in New Jersey municipal law. His three-volume series on N.J. municipal law is the best-known work on the subject.

He was an enthusiastic chef, an entertainer, and a great friend. He leaves Frances, his wife of 36 years, children Michael and Natalia, and sister Elisea, to all of whom the class extends its condolences.

The Class of 1964

LAWRENCE R. BARKER ’70

Larry, of Napa, Calif., who entered Princeton after graduating from Shaker Heights [Ohio] HS, died Sept. 27, 2002, from a ruptured aortic aneurysm. Although he had enough advanced placement credits to graduate in three years, he loved Princeton so much that he decided to stay an extra year. He spent his senior year mostly doing research. He was in the Woodrow Wilson School and belonged to Terrace Club. He received his JD from the U. of Michigan, and practiced law in the Cleveland area for 25 years with the law firm Malitz and Barker. He also started a merchant banking firm, Gray Industries.

His friends at Princeton always remember Larry as someone upon whom they could rely when they needed help. His business and law practice clients felt the same way. Larry moved to Napa in 1988, when he retired from his law practice but continued his work in merchant banking. He bonded closely to the community in Napa and co-authored a book, Napa Valley, about the people of the area and their environmental and community activities.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth Berggren, and his warmth and vitality always will be remembered by the class.

The Class of 1970

RICHARD C. JOHNSON ’75

Rik died Apr. 8, 2002. Having grown up in Pleasanton, Calif., he prepared for Princeton at Robert Louis Stevenson School.

While at Princeton, Rik majored in politics, was on the crew, sang in the Chapel Choir, and was influential in starting up the Princeton Inn College Theatre. After graduation, he returned to the San Francisco area, managing the box office for the Concord Pavilion and then working in a variety of industries setting up office systems and training programs.

He never relinquished his love of theater, however, and just a few years before his death had become involved in it once again. As he wrote with characteristic humor in our 25th-reunion yearbook, “Unconventional career changes are always a long shot, but better that than spending another 25 years wondering. Besides, someone has to play the middle-aged balding guy — why not me?” While actively engaged in work doing voiceovers, he performed in regional theater groups throughout the Bay Area, including in several different roles in Tony & Maria’s Comedy Wedding.

Rik had a gift for both making and keeping friends and delighted in his role as courtesy “uncle” to their children. He will be deeply missed. Rik is survived by his mother, Louise Johnson, and his sister, Molly.

The Class of 1975

Steven K. Baker ’78

Steve died June 1, 2002, and we lost a brilliant and compassionate classmate. He was a scholar, a lover of the outdoors, and a member of the Footnotes and of Terrace Club.

Steve obtained his medical degree at UMass, and continued his studies at Chicago and Northwestern. He practiced general internal medicine, then specialized as a pulmonologist. He returned to academic medicine and had been an assistant professor at Northwestern since 1998.

Steve’s brother remembers him as “the consummate physician — a successful academician, compassionate clinician, and valued teacher . . . passionate and focused in all that he did.”

A former student described Steve’s “passion for science and investigation” and his return to teaching because “he missed the intellectual challenge and intensity that accompany academic medicine.” She continued: “We plan to carry on with the best of Steve’s spirit, for as it is told in Ethics of the Fathers, ‘He is like a tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and it does not cease to bear fruit.’ ”

Steve was deeply devoted to his wife, Ginny O’Keefe Baker, and three daughters, to whom we send our condolences.

The Class of 1978

David Melemed ’78

David died Feb. 29, 2000, of a heart attack. Math and analytical process came easily to him, and his other interests at Princeton were widespread. He was active with Theatre Intime and lettered in lightweight football, while passionately supporting other Tiger teams. Though Dave left us and finished at Boston U., he loved Princeton and his many friends, often traveling far to stay in touch or support someone through a rough spot. After a variety of jobs and adventures, Dave worked as a computer and systems analyst for Fidelity for 10 years. He was an active member of Temple Israel in Sharon, Mass. Belatedly, we send our condolences to his wife, Rachel, and his sons, Benjamin and Daniel.

The Class of 1978

Robert Hauter Myslik ’90

Though he left us in body, the stories of Rob’s life are indelibly etched on the souls of all he touched and all who shared his life. He died Jan. 21, 2003, in a car accident while attending the Sundance Film Festival. A beautiful, giving, vivacious soul, he will be missed as fiercely as he lived.

Rob lived every day with vigor, from early days as a boy growing up in Milan, Italy, to countless hours spent playing and coaching on the Princeton soccer fields, to moments lighting up the minds of his students in his English classroom at the Hun School of Princeton. He then moved to Montana, where he made his dream home in the mountains of Missoula, and where he coached soccer, attended graduate school, and married his wife, Susan, who is expecting their first child in September.

The family left to tell Rob’s stories are Susan; his mother and stepfather, Barbara Hauter and Taylor Woodward ’62; his father, Robert Myslik ’61; his sister and brother-in-law and family, Melora ’88 and Andrew Balson ’88; and countless friends and people whom he loved and who loved him. Donations in Rob’s memory can be made to the Robert Hauter Myslik Memorial Fund, Fleet National Bank, PO Box 55477, Boston, MA 02205-5477.

The Class of 1990

Robert M. Levine *67

Bob died Apr. 1, 2002, of complications from brain cancer. Bob was a leading authority on Brazilian history and culture at the U. of Miami, and a prolific writer on Cuba and Miami. Fellow professor Steve Stein described him as a “fearless scholar” and mentor to a generation of historians.

After earning his MA and PhD from Princeton, Bob taught at the State U. of New York at Stony Brook. In 1981 he moved to U. of Miami to head the doctoral program in Latin American history.

He went on to chair the university’s history department, establish the Institute for Public History, direct the Latin American Studies program, and serve as founding director of the Center for Latin American Studies.

In 1999, Bob was named Gabelli Senior Scholar in Arts and Sciences. His many publications included Vale of Tears and Tropical Diaspora, winner of the Latin American Studies Assn. best book prize. Bob was a powerful advocate of Princeton’s Graduate School, and for many years served as secretary of his PAW Class Notes. He is survived by his parents, David and Ruth; sons Joseph and David; brother Kenneth; sister Janice Hirshon; and companion Karen Orlin.

The Graduate School