June 9, 2004: Memorials
ROBERT LEONARD DIKOVICS ’28
Robert died June 8, 1999, in Williamsburg, Va.
At Princeton Robert majored in history. He earned his freshman numerals on the freshman football squad and joined the first University lacrosse team. Senior year he roomed in a West College suite with his brothers, Ernest ’30 and Leslie ’31.
He received a master’s in education at Columbia, and then taught French, Latin, social studies, and American history over three decades at Irvington HS in Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y.
The life of “Mr. D,” as his pupils affectionately named him, is a tribute to Princeton-ians who have dedicated themselves to teaching in the nation’s public high schools. Robert was unassuming, demonstrating personal concern for each pupil and stimulating incentive through “bonus” assignments. During the 1950s he helped integrate students who had moved from NYC to Irvington into the community. Two of his students graduated in the Class of ’63: Ronald Furst and John Francis Smith III.
Robert retired to Lake Champlain in the Adirondacks, where he pursued his lifelong passion for fishing. His grandson, Matt Pickelle, crafted the following stanza: “The contest between grandpa and fish wasn’t much of a bout: It’d be better characterized as a continual rout. Grandpa of course was the winner. The trout??? He’d be grandpa’s dinner!”
Mary, Robert’s wife of 62 years, died in 1998. He is survived by his daughters, Karen Pickelle and Stephanie Honeycutt, their husbands, and five grandchildren. The class extends sincere sympathy to the family.
The Class of 1928
NORMAN FREDERICK BEACH ’30
Norm Beach died at his home in Nantucket Mar. 11, 2004. He was 94.
He came to us from Morristown [N.J.] HS. At Princeton he was a member of Arbor Inn and lived all four years at 34 S. Edwards. After graduation Norm joined Eastman Kodak as a research chemist. He spent 44 years with Kodak in various locations and positions, and was responsible for establishing the Kodak Colorado Division in Greeley.
In addition to his work at Kodak, Norm was a director of Rochester General Hospital, Hellenic College, and Page Airways. He was an instrument-rated multi-engine private pilot. After retirement he and his wife moved to Nantucket, where he served on various boards including the board of selectmen.
Norm is survived by his wife, Irene, his daughter, Deborah B. Stanton, and a grandson. The class extends its sympathy.
The Class of 1930
DALLAS WEBB DORT ’30
Dallas Dort died Mar. 9, 2004, in Sarasota, Fla. He was 96.
Dal came to us from Flint [Mich.] Senior HS, where he was on the football and baseball teams, a student council member, and senior class president. At Princeton he was manager of the University Band, and a member of Clio Hall and Key and Seal Club.
After graduation he earned a law degree from the U. of Michigan and entered government service in the administration of Pres. Roosevelt and Vice Pres. Harry Truman. Dal often recounted playing poker with Pres. Roosevelt. He left government service and moved to Sarasota 53 years ago, where he practiced law and operated a 3,000-acre cattle ranch called the Double D. He founded New College in Sarasota and was active in its affairs, often visiting campus to chat with students.
New College Pres. Gordon Michalson said of Dal: “He was an independent thinker. He wasn’t one of those party-line guys. He didn’t just go along with the crowd. That’s why he liked New College, for its emphasis on intellectual independence.”
Dal established Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in memory of his wife of 67 years, Elizabeth Buck Dort. He is survived by daughters Dorothy D. Levy and Deborah D. Clement; a brother, David T. Dort; eight grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren. The class extends its sympathy.
The Class of 1930
WILLIAM MORRIS CAIRNS ’31
William Morris Cairns of Ridgewood, N.J., died Apr. 27, 2003, of prostate cancer.
William received a bachelor’s degree in modern languages and literature from Princeton, where he was active in wrestling and in marching band.
He married Winifred Eleanor Roth in 1943, and spent his career in advertising in NYC. He lived in NYC, Nyack, N.Y., and Miami. William also pursued an interest in folk and square dancing, which he taught to groups of all ages.
He is survived by his two sons and their wives: Alexander and Dusanka Cairns, and Christopher ’69 and Kathleen Cairns. William was predeceased by Winifred, his brother John Cairns ’24, and sisters Mary Bauchelle, Grace Peck, and Ruth Rogge. Memorial donations may be made to the Salvation Army. The class sends its condolences to the family.
The Class of 1931
PHILIP CECIL CHABOT SMITH ’32
Phil, retired chairman and CEO of Yardley of London, Inc., and a director of mutual funds from the early days of their development as investment entities, died Feb. 17, 2004. He was 92 and living in Weston, Conn., where he had resided for 49 years.
Born in Prestwich, England, Phil came to the US with his family when he was 10. He prepared at Montclair [N.J.] HS. While at Princeton, he was in the Glee Club and Theatre Intime all four years, served as stage director his senior year, and was a member of Gateway Club. He graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program in 1954.
He served in the Honourable Artillery Company in England and was a US Army officer during WWII. From the 1950s to the 1990s, he served on the boards of many mutual funds. At times he was a director of more than 12 funds. In Weston, he was active on civic boards, and served and supported numerous public-interest organizations. He also was a prolific, skilled, and talented painter.
Phil was predeceased by his wife of 50 years, Elizabeth Odell Smith, in 1984. He is survived by his sons, Lawther C., Richard C., and Owen C., seven grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren, to whom the class sends sincere condolences.
The Class of 1932
ROBERT LOCKITT MARTIN ’33
Bob Martin died Jan. 28, 2004. He had been living in The Hermitage at Cedarfield in Richmond, Va., a life-care facility, for the past eight years.
Bob was originally from Middletown, N.J., and Tequesta, Fla. He retired from the benefits department of Exxon Corp., where he had worked for 40 years. He served as a commander in the Coast Guard during WWII, and remained active in the Coast Guard Reserve for many years.
Bob was preceded in death by a son, John. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Vogel Martin, a daughter, and three grandchildren. We miss him.
The Class of 1933
RUFUS WHEELWRIGHT CLARK ’34
Rufe Clark, who retired in 1977 from the engineering staff of the California State Lands Division after a career in “Big Oil,” as he called it, died Dec. 23, 2003.
“My claim to fame,” he once wrote a classmate,” is national records (in US Masters Swimming) in the 200-meter breaststroke in 1976 and 1977, and runner-up in 1978.” He took up swimming “when a foot went bad,” and he recommended “this pastime for those interested in physical well-being and hard work.”
Rufe was married in 1940 to Elise Houghton, who predeceased him. The couple had three children, Susan, Rufus, and Katherine, and they lived for many years “on our small parcel in La Habra Heights [Calif.].” Since 2000 Rufe lived in Wauna, Wash., “a spot that consists of a post office, firehouse, gas station, and market” in an area “rapidly becoming populated by out-of-state refugees seeking greener pastures.”
The Class of 1934
FREDERICK RIKER HELLEGERS ’34
We were saddened to learn of the death Mar. 6, 2004, of Fred Hellegers, chairman for 31 years of the religion department of Washington and Jefferson College and the college’s pastor.
Fred graduated from Passaic [N.J.] HS and spent his first two years at Davidson College. At Princeton he majored in philosophy. After graduation he went to Princeton Theological Seminary and then to Tübingen U. in Germany for his doctorate. He taught at the seminary and then took the pulpit of Bethel Presbyterian Church in East Orange, N.J.
In 1949 Fred went to Washington and Jefferson, where he stayed until the end of his career. He was married to the former Frances Gordon, who died in 1986. He often played two-piano music with her, and he was an accomplished, self-taught artist. His son, John ’62, wrote: “He had been in vigorous health through his late 80s, swimming daily.”
Fred leaves three children, John, David, and Susan H. Jones; three grandchildren, Katina Ketchum, Gordon Hellegers, and Laura Jones ’05; and two great-grandchildren. The great love of his life, apart from work and family, was Grand Manan Island in Canada off the Maine coast, where he and his family vacationed, and where he maintained a library of thousands of books.
The Class of 1934
WALTER COCHRAN VIOL ’34
Walter died Dec. 23, 2003, at home in Eatontown, N.J.
Born in Lafayette, Ind., where his brother, Jackson, still lives, Walter prepared at East Orange [N.J.] HS and the Peddie School before coming to Princeton.
According to an obituary in the Asbury Park Press, Walter was an accountant and an Army veteran of WWII, having served in a Field Artillery unit in Europe as a pilot of single-engine planes used to scout artillery targets. He was a Jehovah’s Witness and belonged to the Fair Haven [N.J.] congregation. He enjoyed walking and was an avid collector.
The Class of 1934
FRANK W. LEARY ’36
Frank died in Paris June 21, 2003; he was 88.
He prepared at the Hun School. At Princeton he majored in history and was undergraduate treasurer of Court Club. In 1940 Yale awarded him a master’s in history.
Through the years he became a leading historical novelist, essayist, and critic, especially of British and French history in the 15th century, and including subjects such as Richard III and Joan of Arc. His books received very good reviews in the NY Times and other publications. He wrote many essays for the International Reader’s Digest, including ones on Metternich, Balzac, Voltaire, Rembrandt, Bismarck, and Rousseau. He also wrote articles for the Virginia Quarterly, Horizon, American Heritage, and the International History Magazine.
His first novel, followed by many more over the years, was This Dark Monarchy, published in 1949, about the Victorian age.
In WWII, Frank served almost two years in the Navy. He was honorably discharged in 1944. In 1953-54 he served as vice president of the Princeton Club of Paris.
Frank lived in Paris 53 years. He also spent time in England, Switzerland, and the US. He is survived by his wife, Simone.
The Class of 1936
JENA CUTHBERT COLLIER II ’38
Jena died Feb. 26, 2003.
Before coming to Princeton, he attended Gordon Military Academy, where he played football, baseball, and tennis. After college he earned an MBA from Georgia Institute of Technology. In WWII he served as an Army captain in Africa and Italy. After the war, he taught military science at Georgia Tech.
In the early 1950s he joined the Lockheed-Georgia Co., working in marketing until his retirement in 1983, when he moved to Oriental, N.C.
Jena is survived by his wife, the former Helga Rosemann; sons Jena Cuthbert III and Christopher Reid; a sister, Virginia Collier Dennis; and two grandchildren, to all of whom the class extends its belated but sincere sympathy.
The Class of 1938
CHARLES WOOLEVER DAVIES ’38
Chiz died June 22, 2003.
He came to Princeton via the Salisbury School and Montclair [N.J.] Academy. At Princeton he studied modern languages, played lacrosse, and was a member of Tiger Inn. After graduation he earned additional credits at NYU and spent two years in military service.
In 1960 he joined American Pharmaceu-tical Co., where he held senior positions in direct marketing.
During the ensuing years Chiz did extensive traveling in the business and lived in New Jersey and southern California. He and his wife engaged in many church and civic activities and especially enjoyed golf. They retired on St. Helena Island, S.C.
Chiz was married to Grace Hardy Bell in 1940, and they had two sons, Charles W. Jr. and Paul H. The class extends its condolences to his survivors.
The Class of 1938
STANLEY WEBSTER PEARSON JR. ’41
Stan died Feb. 8, 2004, after a long illness.
A graduate of Chestnut Hill Academy and Lawrenceville, he majored in geology at Princeton and joined Ivy Club. He roomed first with R. P. Williams, then sophomore year with Sam Finnell and Thacher Longstreth, and junior and senior year with Longstreth at Ivy.
Son of a notable squash player, Stan was an excellent quarterback and drop-kicker. He captained the squash and baseball teams senior year, and won the Intercollegiate Squash Championship in 1939. In the first sports event ever televised in the US, Stan was shown driving in the winning run in the 10th inning of a 2-1 victory over Columbia.
Going into active service in 1941 with the Field Artillery, he transferred to the Air Corps. He was a flight instructor in B-17s, B-24s, and B-32s, and separated as a major.
Returning to the family business, Stan became president of Joseph T. Pearson Box Co. After 20 years, he left and went to work for the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the former Provident Bank, and the Franklin Institute, and finally became administrative assistant to Philadelphia Councilman Thacher Longstreth.
Stan kept up his involvement in squash, and became the first person to win both the US Squash Singles Championship (1948) and the US Racquets Singles Championship (1952). He also won the US championship in doubles in both sports.
Predeceased by his wife of 40 years, Dorothy Disston Nalle, he is survived by his son, Stanley W. III, his daughter, Dorothy, and five grandchildren.
The Class of 1941
ROBERT S. BORDEN ’42
Bob, a mathematician and music aficionado, died Mar. 8, 2004, in Peoria, Ill. He was 82.
Having prepared at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, Bob majored in mathematics at Princeton. He was a member of the band, Tiger Orchestra, and Triangle Club. In WWII, Bob was a corporal and served as an antiaircraft gunner in Europe. After VE Day he devoted his talents to teaching math to American soldiers at American U. in Biarritz, France, by day, and entertaining them in the evening as orchestral trombonist.
Having had summer employment with Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Bob resumed his career with the company in store management and sales. He married Mary Peck in 1948 and they had two children, Mary Caroline and Robert. Mary Peck died in 1985.
In 1957, Bob made a career switch to teaching mathematics. Starting at Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh, he progressed from instructor at the U. of Pittsburgh, where he earned a PhD in mathematics, to professor at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., and wrote among various publications a textbook titled, A Course in Advanced Calculus. After retirement from Knox, Bob moved to Peoria, married Margaret Brown, who survives him, and returned to his second love — music.
Bob deeply admired Princeton and particularly the honor system. We will miss him.
The Class of 1942
CURTISS FOSS BROWN ’42
Curt Brown of Concord, Mass., died Feb. 19, 2004, of leukemia.
Having prepared at Middlesex School, Curt selected civil engineering as his major at Princeton. To focus on applied engineering, he left us after sophomore year to learn arc welding at the John Huntington Institute, an affiliate of Chicago Bridge and Iron Co. (CB&I). In WWII he completed 30 missions as an Army Air Corps B-17 pilot and first lieutenant in Europe.
By our 10th reunion Curt was living in Concord and working as a contracting engineer for CB&I. He later worked for the Reece Corp. in Waltham, Mass., owned a business, and ultimately became a business consultant.
Curt married Frances Roche in 1949. Together they raised five children: Penny, Lucy, Sandra, Elliott, and David.
Active in the Concord community for more than 50 years, Curt was a founder of Belknap House, a home for seniors, and of Nashoba Country Day School. He was president of the Visiting Nurse Assn. and a director of Community Chest. Curt left a legacy of land-conservation projects. A member of Concord Country Club, he enjoyed tennis and golf, and was a skilled bridge player.
To Frances, the children and seven grandchildren, the class extends its deepest condolences.
The Class of 1942
HENRY WEEKS TRIMBLE JR. ’42
After a most interesting life, Hank died Jan. 31, 2004, in NYC from complications following surgery.
Having prepared at Montclair [N.J.] HS, he earned honors in psychology, and was a member of Cannon Club and Triangle. Following WWII as a first lieutenant in the Field Artillery, he graduated from Harvard Business School and Yale Law School, where he was editor of the Yale Law Review.
Hank practiced law with Cravath, Swaine and Moore until one of his major clients, IBM, lured him into the corporate world. By our 20th reunion, he had risen to general counsel and corporate secretary. Several outside directorships included eminent for-profit and nonprofit enterprises. After a stint as investment banker with Hayden Stone in NYC, Hank retired in 1970 to private practice in real-estate law.
He and his devoted wife of 20 years, Jane Schaffhausen, often traveled to their homes in Provence, France, Anguilla in the Caribbean, and the Hamptons. Hank was a gifted pianist, singer, a devoted sports enthusiast, and ever loyal to our class. He was a governor of the Metropolitan Club of NYC.
To Jane; Hank’s children, Pamela, Henry III ’68, Neill, and James ’72; his eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild, the class extends its deepest condolences.
The Class of 1942
PHILIP GILETT COLE ’43
The class lost Phil Mar. 31, 2004; he was 83.
Following Princeton and Army service in the Pacific during WWII, he earned a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Phil was a practicing attorney in Colorado and New York all his working life. He was admitted to argue cases before the Colorado Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court. He and his partner, Colorado Gov. John Love, founded the law firm Love and Cole.
The chief thrust of Phil’s life, other than work and family, was furthering higher education. To this end, Phil served in the development office of Dartmouth College, lectured in economics at Colorado College, and served on the boards of Lake Placid Education Foundation and the Northwood School.
He was predeceased by his wife, the former Anne-Hart Brown, in 1997. He is survived by two sons, Philip G. III and Christopher; two daughters, Elizabeth and Katherine Bedell; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a sister, Katherine Cole. To the entire family, we offer our deepest sympathies.
The Class of 1943
ROBERT PARSONS MILLER ’45 *54
Bob Miller died Dec. 22, 2003, after fighting various forms of cancer.
Bob prepared for Princeton at Montclair [N.J.] Academy and joined Court Club. His Princeton education was interrupted by service as an officer with the Navy Amphibious Forces in the Pacific. Before shipping out, he married Daphne Haynes.
He returned to receive a degree summa cum laude in English in 1947 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received a master’s from Princeton in 1949 and became an instructor in the English Dept. He received a PhD as a Wilson Fellow in 1954, then left Princeton to join the Dept. of English at Queens College in NYC. In 1977 he published Chaucer: Sources and Backgrounds with Oxford U. Press, which is still in print.
His was an academically inclined family. Daphne received a law degree from Hofstra. Son Haynes graduated from Harvard, received a PhD in math from Princeton, and is a professor at MIT. Son Geoffrey ’73 was editor of the law review at Columbia Law School, clerked for Supreme Court Justice Byron White, and is a professor at NYU Law School.
Bob and Daphne were active in community affairs on Sanibel Island, Fla., until her death in 1996. Bob then married longtime friend Mary Plant, who survives him, along with Haynes and Geoffrey. The class expresses its sympathy to this distinguished family.
The Class of 1945
ROBERT F. DONOVAN ’46
Bob “Rock” Donovan died Feb. 4, 2004, at home in Closter, N.J., with his beloved wife of 54 years, Jeanne, and all his family at his side, after a long illness which, happily, only benched him during the past year.
Rock truly was ’46’s Reunion Chair Emeritus, working all our major reunions from the 30th on, chairing our 45th, then our great 50th, and advising enthusiastically thereafter.
Rock spent six years in the Navy during WWII and the Korean War, but this was not the only service he rendered his country. An expert in advertising sales, he was one of a small group of visionaries who founded Smithsonian Magazine, a publication that serves the nation and the world with distinction — a proud and fitting legacy.
The creativity he showed as its advertising manager until his retirement served ’46 so well, inspiring him to develop many of our reunion themes and design many of our winning logos such as the incomparable “Statue of Liberty.”
To Jeanne, daughter Alison A. Novack, son Dennis F., and Rock’s five grandchildren, the class extends its sincere sympathy and promises to march and win another P-rade trophy for the Rock!
The Class of 1946
PAUL JOSEPH EVERSHADE ’46
Paul “Tex” Evershade died Feb. 26, 2004, at his Houston, Tex., home after a long, courageous battle with ocular melanoma, and surrounded by his loving wife of 57 years, Dorothy, and his family.
A graduate of Lamar Senior HS in Texas and the Peddie School, he majored in economics and played freshman football at Princeton. He served as a torpedo pilot in the Navy Air Corps from 1942-47 with the rank of ensign. He married Dorothy in 1947 and returned to Princeton to live in the Harrison Street “barracks,” graduating in 1948.
Returning to Houston, Tex spent some 40 years in the petroleum industry, in refining and oil-field supply, lastly for Vinson Supply Co. A dedicated member and elder at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church, he also was president of Brazos Presbyterian Homes and Pinemont Homes for the elderly in Houston. He served on the board for the Battleship Texas. Golf, skiing, hunting, fishing, travel, and the arts were his leisure interests.
In addition to his wife, Tex is survived by daughters Cheryl Towning, Julia Evershade Smith ’74, and Elsa Rosenberg, and three granddaughters. The class extends its deep sympathy to them all on the loss of our loyal member and friend.
The Class of 1946
THOMAS VAUGHAN MCMAHON ’46
Tom died Feb. 17, 2004, at his home in Westhampton Beach, N.Y.
Born in Brooklyn, he came to Princeton from Poly Prep. In college he played baseball and studied French. He then served in the Army and earned his law degree at St. John’s U. From 1952-90, he worked at the NYC firm of Conboy, Hewitt, O’Brien and Boardman, and later was a partner of Ahmuty, Demers and McManus in Riverhead, N.Y. A member of the Knights of Malta, he helped his wife of 50 years, Barbara, support the East End Hospice in Westhampton Beach.
Tom is survived by his wife; four married children, Donald, Molly, Thomas V. Jr., and Mimi; seven grandchildren; a brother, James; and a sister, Joan. To them all, the class extends sincere sympathy.
The Class of 1946
WILBER M. BRUCKER Jr. ’47
Warm friend to many, wise counselor to those in need, constant seeker of wisdom, loving spouse and father — these qualities typified Wil’s enviable, rewarding life.
At Princeton he enjoyed many comrades, “presidented” Campus Club, courted Doris Ann “Danny” Shover, studied with zeal in the SPIA program, and graduated magna cum laude in 1949. Law school at Michigan (where he again excelled), marriage to Danny in 1951, a busy law practice in Detroit, a home in Grosse Pointe, and children Barbara, Wilber III, and Paul followed.
Wil’s father was a respected former governor of Michigan and Eisenhower’s Secretary of the Army, but Wil’s continuous, diverse public-service activities were essentially apolitical — motivated by a devout, compelling belief that one’s abilities should be used to make the world a better place. He served on the Board of Governors of Wayne State U. in inner-city Detroit for 11 years; he was active in Habitat for Humanity; and was an elder and Stephen Minister of his church.
Wil and his family loved their vacation home in northern Michigan. On Nov. 9, 2003, when they were closing it for the season, he suffered a massive heart attack. Shortly thereafter his life was beautifully celebrated at an overflow service in Grosse Pointe. We now celebrate it here, and hope the warmth of our admiration for Wil may provide some comfort to Danny, the three children, and four grandchildren.
The Class of 1947
EDUARDO NORMAN AGUIRRE ’49
Eddie died Jan. 23, 2004, of pneumonia at M. D. Anderson Hospital, in Houston, Tex., where he underwent a bone marrow transplant for lymphoma six years ago. Regrettably, his recovery was not permanent.
Eddie’s father was Mexican and his mother American. He prepared for Princeton at Exeter, where he excelled in lacrosse and baseball. Eddie only stayed at Princeton for one year before transferring to Claremont College in California, where he graduated in 1949 as president of his class. While at Princeton he played goalie on the lacrosse team. He never forgot his Princeton friends and classmates and attended our 50th reunion. He was also host to several classmates and wives over the years in Mexico.
Eddie had an eclectic career in banking, hotels, construction, and, finally, in international insurance. He remained active in sports his entire life. However, the center of his life was his family. He was married to the former Gloria Chapis with whom he had four children: Eduardo Jr., Roberto, Gilda Doreen, and Gloria Karinna. They all survive him as do 14 grandchildren.
The class extends its sincerest sympathy to the family and bids “Lalo” adios, vaya con Dios.
The Class of 1949
ROBERT W. GUTHEIL ’49
Bob died Feb. 27, 2004, of pneumonia. He was 79.
He prepared for Princeton at Erasmus Hall HS and Colby Academy. He served in the Marine Corps from 1943 until 1945 as a corporal in the Pacific theater. At Princeton he majored in politics and was president of Cloister Inn. He also served as undergraduate secretary of the Class of ’12.
Bob started his career with Baugh Chemical Co. in Philadelphia, and retired as president of Borden Chemical Co. and executive vice president of Borden, Inc. in 1983. Upon retirement he moved to Hilton Head Island and became very active in civic affairs there. He served as Beaufort Chapter chairman of the American Red Cross during Hurricane Hugo and was on the board of trustees of Hilton Head Hospital. At one time he was a candidate for mayor. In 1992 he moved to Bonita Springs, Fla., and in 1999 he moved to the Naples area. He had been in poor health for several years.
Bob is survived by his wife, Helen, and daughter, Kate. The class extends its sincere sympathy to them in their loss and ours.
The Class of 1949
WILLIAM PODOLAK JR ’49
Bill died Feb. 15, 1998. He prepared for Princeton at Irvington HS and Newark Technical School, and served in the Army Air Corps in Europe from 1942-45.
At Princeton he majored in electrical engineering. He participated in intramural sports and was a member of the Catholic Club. University records indicate that he later received an MBA, but do not indicate from which institution. What is known of his career indicates that he worked in reliability engineering management. In 1992 the University directory listed him as being retired from Allied Signal Corp.
Bill was married to Margaret Podolak and they had two children, but only his son, William P. Podolak Jr., is listed in the University records as Bill’s survivor. The class extends its sympathy to him.
The Class of 1949
CORNELIUS H. TALBERT ’49
Neil died Apr. 9, 2003, of complications from diabetes. He was 83.
Neil was one of the older members of the class. He prepared for Princeton at Cranford [N.J.] HS. He came to Princeton after training with the Royal Canadian Air Force and from European service with the Royal Air Force. When the US entered WWII, Neil transferred to the Navy and spent the remainder of the war flying seaplanes in the Southwest Pacific theater.
After graduation Neil returned to naval service and served for more than 20 years, retiring as a commander. He was one of the most experienced flying boat pilots in the Navy, and served a tour at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Md., flight-testing the newest flying boats. He also attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. After he retired to Santa Cruz, Calif., Neil had a second career as a broker, appraiser, and Realtor. He was active in numerous professional and service organizations, and was accorded many honors in his field.
Neil is survived by his wife, Patricia, sons Neil Jr., Peder, and George, a daughter, Cynthia Barros, and three grandchildren. The class extends its deepest sympathy to them on the loss of this committed American.
The Class of 1949
JAMES HORNOR DAVIS III ’50
Jim died Mar. 4, 2004, in his native West Virginia.
A Tower Club member, Jim graduated with honors from the Woodrow Wilson School. He earned a law degree from U. Va. in 1953. Soon after, he was called into the Air Force as a judge advocate for two years.
During his lifelong practice of law, Jim served in both the W. Va. House of Delegates and Senate in the 1960s. He chaired the W. Va. Judiciary Council, W. Va. Manufacturers Assn., and National Council of Coal Lessors, and looked after the family businesses. Jim’s expertise in natural resources and corporate law was recognized when he was named honorary trustee for the Eastern Mineral Law Foundation and Coal Lawyer of 2002.
Jim was an intelligent, friendly, witty man who, with his wife, took up croquet seriously when tennis became too demanding. They helped get croquet offered at The Greenbrier, where they maintained a second home. An active member of the Episcopal Church, Jim was involved in many civic organizations and was past president of the Princeton Alumni Assn. of West Virginia.
We share Jim’s loss with his wife Ouida, whom he married a month after graduation; his sons, James H. IV and Lewis C.; five granddaughters; and his brother, William ’53.
The Class of 1950
WILLIAM HENRY PETRING JR. ’50
Bill died Sept. 30, 2003, of complications from a broken hip.
Bill entered Princeton after graduating from John Burroughs School in his hometown of St. Louis. At Princeton, he majored in economics, was a member of NROTC and Tower Club, sang in the Glee Club, and played JV football as a sophomore, junior and senior. His roommates were Bob Alexan-der, Bill Costen, Bob Frantz, and Bill Maritz.
He entered the Washington U. Law School in the fall of 1950, but a legal career was cut short when the Navy called him to active duty late in 1950. He spent three years as a junior officer on several ships before being released in 1953. Returning to St. Louis, he joined the H. P. Coffee Co., a family firm run by his father.
While still in his 20s, Bill began to suffer from schizophrenia, which caused him to spend the last 30 years of his life at the St. Joseph’s Infirmary in Eureka, Mo.
Bill never married. He is survived by his brother, G. Lewis Petring ’53.
The Class of 1950
JOHN KNOX WITHERSPOON JR. ’50
John died unexpectedly Jan. 16, 2004, in Signal Mountain, Tenn.
At Princeton, John was a member of Elm Club and president of the University Press Club, covering sports for the Philadelphia Inquirer and UPI. He graduated summa cum laude from the SPIA program and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
After graduation he wandered around Europe for several months and was in Rome when he received his induction notice. His Army assignments from 1951-53 included an antiaircraft unit in Korea. He returned to Chattanooga, where he joined the Provident Life & Insurance Co. During his 37 years with the company, he developed and implemented its first managed healthcare business and was president of its property-casualty insurance subsidiary. He retired as a senior vice president in 1990.
His wife Norma said, “He did not miss a beat, opening his own financial consulting business on the Monday following his retirement.” She added, “His affection for Princeton never wavered.”
John was a lifetime member of the Presbyterian Church and deeply committed to his community, serving on a variety of education, social, and health boards.
Our sympathy is with Norma, his wife of 46 years, his six children, 12 grandchildren, and his brother.
The Class of 1950
MICHAEL V. DEPORTE ’60
After a courageous battle with non-Hodgkins’ lymphoma, Michael died at his home in Dover, N.H., Dec. 9, 2003. He was 64.
He attended the Milne School in Albany, N.Y., and the Grange School in Santiago, Chile. He enrolled at Princeton but later earned a bachelor’s degree from the U. of Minnesota, and a master’s and PhD in English and humanities from Stanford. He taught for seven years at the U. of Chicago, and briefly at Stanford before joining the English Dept. at the U. of New Hampshire in 1972. He was promoted to associate professor in 1973 and to full professor in 1981.
Michael was a teacher “known for his brilliance and generosity,” according to Dr. Christopher Fox, director of the Keough Institute for Irish Studies at Notre Dame. In 1986 Michael received the first Lindberg Award for Outstanding Teacher-Scholar in New Hampshire’s College of Liberal Arts. He served for 10 years as chair of English, the largest department at the university.
As a scholar, Michael wrote the monograph, Nightmares and Hobbyhorses: Swift, Sterne, and Augustan Ideas of Madness (1974), and more than 25 scholarly articles and reviews. In 2002, after his retirement, he was invited to deliver an address on Jonathan Swift in the deanery of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, where Swift himself was dean from 1713-45.
Michael was devoted to his family. Early in life he edited and published his father’s memoirs of his experiences in the Russian Revolution of 1905. He is survived by his wife, Judy Lindberg; daughters Catherine and Rebecca; stepson Peter Jon Lindberg; two grandchildren; his brother, David; and many family members and friends. To them all, the class sends condolences.
The Class of 1960
ROBERT ALDEN LEBHAR ’61
Bob Lebhar died Jan. 23, 2004, after a brief illness.
Born in NYC, Bob came to Princeton from Blair Academy. At Princeton he ate at Tower, sang in the Glee Club, and played freshman baseball. His roommates were Rick Johnson and Dick Henshaw. He maintained a lifelong interest in Princeton athletics, often attending football and basketball games. He was even known to have corresponded with several Princeton basketball coaches over the years, suggesting one tactic or another, always for the purpose of greater glory for the Tigers.
Following Princeton, Bob served in the Army for two years, and then earned a master’s in music from the Manhattan School of Music. Music was Bob’s great passion and his entire career was dedicated to it, teaching and performing (piano and organ), singing with various choirs (most notably the Pro Arte Chorale), and functioning as musical director for many churches in New York.
A memorial service was held Jan. 31 at Asbury Methodist Church in Tuckahoe, N.Y., where Bob had worked as choirmaster and organist, and in which the choir raised a joyful and most beautiful noise.
He is survived by four brothers, Norman, Peter, Nicholas, and Michael. We join his family and many friends in mourning his passing.
The Class of 1961
H. RAMSAY PEARD ’64
Ramsay died unexpectedly Nov. 4, 2003.
Born and raised in Baltimore, Ramsay attended Hotchkiss, where he perfected his skill at all-nighters. At Princeton he majored in English and wrote his thesis on Shakespeare. He was a member of Cottage Club, the 21 Club, and the Right Wing Club. He was Cottage’s IAA Athlete of the Year in 1963 and 1964. After Princeton, Ramsay worked in Baltimore for Maryland National Bank and the Sheet Metal Coating & Litho Co. He joined the Coast Guard Reserves and attended U. Va. Business School, where he graduated first in his MBA class in 1969.
Ramsay had a varied and successful business career as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, as senior vice president of ATE Management in Cincinnati, as president of Sheet Metal Coating, then as CEO of Futuro Co. in Cincinnati. He concluded his career with typical success as a commercial real-estate broker in Cincinnati.
Ramsay never took himself or others too seriously. He was always looking for adventure; he caught a blue marlin off Cabo San Lucas, had two holes-in-one, and last summer canoed the entire Connecticut River with a buddy from U. Va. He had an infectious laugh and a quirky but always kind sense of humor, and made friends throughout his life.
To Ramsay’s wife, Theresa, his daughter, Kim, and brother Trevor ’71, the class extends our collective sense of loss. Those who knew Ramsay will remember his wit, humor, and originality. He was one of a kind.
The Class of 1964
ROBERT EDWARD GREENLAW ’66
Bob Greenlaw died Mar. 3, 2004, at his home in Houston after a courageous battle with cancer.
Bob came to Princeton from Houston's Spring Branch HS, where he served on the student council and football team and as senior class president. At Princeton Bob majored in civil engineering and was a member of Dial Lodge. His activities included the Jamesburg Visitation Program and, as he proudly noted in our Nassau Herald, service as a volunteer Volkswagen carrier in the Spring Riot of 1963.
After graduation Bob married Martha McClintock and moved to St. Louis, where he worked for McDonnell Aircraft. In 1970 he returned to Houston and entered the field of general contracting, serving as vice president of Spaw Glass Construction. He was an inventor and held numerous patents.
Bob's greatest passion was ministry. He worked in a number of Bible churches and eight years ago began an outreach to China. Bob also loved helping churches, missions, and friends build homes and churches.
To Bob's mother, wife Martha, children Todd, Greg, Robert and Rebekah, and seven grandchildren, the class extends its heartfelt sympathy.
The Class of 1966
ROBERT M. GOOD ’74
The class lost one of its gentle heroes when Robert died Apr. 5, 2002, after a long battle with cancer.
Robert came to Princeton from Shawnee Mission East HS in Prairie Village, Kans., following in the footsteps of both his late father, Bill ’45, and his older brother, Bill ’73. While at Princeton, Robert was active in Whig-Clio and the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship.
After graduating summa cum laude, Robert went on to earn a master’s in religion and a doctorate in Near Eastern studies from Yale. His thirst for learning still not quenched, Robert earned an MBA from MIT in 1986. He applied all aspects of his education throughout his illustrious and diversified career, which included service as an ordained Presbyterian minister, assistant professor at several leading universities (Brown, Connecticut College, Dartmouth, and Penn), author of several books and scholarly publications, managing director of Cambridge Associates, Boston, and founder of South Street Advisors in Providence, a global private-equity advisory firm. Always unpretentious, he taught a fourth-grade class at his church in later years.
The class extends deepest sympathy to Robert’s widow, Kathy; his children, Hannah, Pamela, and Andre; his mother, Elizabeth; and his brother, Bill.
The Class of 1974
PHILIP M. HOOPER ’75
After a swift and relentless bout with colon cancer, “Hoops” died at his home in Wayne, Pa., Jan. 5, 2004.
Born in Baltimore, Phil graduated from Andover. At Princeton he majored in architecture and was captain of the lacrosse team, winning the Higginbotham Award for outstanding play and earning an invitation to the North-South all-star game.
After obtaining a master’s in architecture from Penn, Phil cofounded Hooper, Shiles Architects, which designed a variety of projects in Philadelphia and around the world. He served on Tredyffrin Township’s school board, and its planning and review commissions. He also shared his affection for lacrosse as a successful and beloved coach in the Radnor Youth Program.
Phil married Tessa David, and they produced three wonderful children — Patrick, Trevor, and Tess — raising them in a home filled with love, laughter, and joy. Phil met his fate with his usual pluck, confidence, and dignity. On a cold Saturday in early January, nearly a thousand friends and family members met to remember Phil, celebrate his life, and be thankful that they knew him. In addition to his wife and children, Phil is survived by his brother, James E. We share their loss.
The Class of 1975
CARL CABLE STEINER II ’75
Carl Steiner died Apr. 22, 2003, after a nine-month battle with brain cancer. He was 49.
Born in Ann Arbor, Mich., he grew up in Canton, Ohio, where he graduated from John H. Lehman HS. He majored in history at Princeton and lettered in crew.
In Grand Marais, Minn., where Carl began his teaching career, he met Canda Lee Roush; they were married in 1979. They lived in Palmer and Wasilla, Alaska; Radnor, Pa.; and Florence, Ala., before settling down in Rancho Cordova, Calif., where they lived at the time of his death. Carl taught at Kinney HS and was noted for his many talents, ranging from music, poetry, and acting to the creation of Christmas displays, parade floats, and T-shirt and logo designs. He helped incorporate technology into education in the Sacramento area. Carl’s commitment to Christianity was paramount in his life, and he wrote a number of songs of praise.
In addition to Canda Lee, Carl is survived by his daughter and son, Jana Carita and Isaac John; his brother, John; his sisters, Shelley Hughes and Jane Sebens; his mother and stepfather, Rosemary and Gary Lebowitz; and many friends.
The Class of 1975
CELESTE FOWLER ’94
Celeste Fowler died Mar. 21, 2004, of metastatic melanoma.
Celeste lived life to the fullest. She was brilliant, modest, kind, generous, and courageous; a great friend who had great friends.
Celeste completed her bachelor’s degree in three years. She graduated with her original class by taking a year to work at the Geometry Center at the U. of Minnesota. She received her certification in scuba diving while at Princeton, and this became a lifelong passion.
After graduating cum laude in computer science, Celeste began work as a senior software engineer for Silicon Graphics. She became highly respected within the computer industry for her creativity and skills as a programmer. She volunteered at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and then joined AvantGo as a senior software engineer and manager. After running in the Honolulu Marathon, she relocated to Hawaii, where she pursued scuba diving and photography.
In June 2003 she entered the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as an MIT Presidential Fellow and PhD candidate. Soon after her death, just eight weeks after being diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, it was learned that Celeste had won a prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for 2004.
Celeste is survived by her parents, Dennis and Peggy Fowler, various aunts, uncles, and cousins, her beloved cat, Flipper, and many friends who all miss her intensely.
The class can read a detailed obituary at http://alumni.princeton.edu/~cl1994/.
The Class of 1994
Graduate Alumni
RICHARD E. HORNER *47
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Richard E. Horner died in San Antonio, Tex., Feb. 28, 2002. He was 84.
Horner received his master’s in aeronautical engineering from Princeton. During WWII he served in the Air Force. Subsequently, he became Flight Test Technical Director at Edwards Air Force Base and then assistant secretary of the Air Force for research and development during the Eisenhower administration. In later years he worked for the Northrop Corp. and the former E.F. Johnson Co.
He is survived by his wife, Peggy, a son and daughter, and six grandchildren.
DONALD GORDON MACDONALD *48
Donald Gordon MacDonald died at his home in Washington, D.C., from esophageal cancer Jan. 12, 2004. He was 82.
MacDonald was born in Chicago and graduated from Wesleyan U. before serving in the Navy during WWII. He earned a master’s degree in politics from Princeton in 1948 and began his federal career as an assistant secretary with the Atomic Energy Commission.
From 1966-70, he served as an assistant administrator at the Agency for International Development in Vietnam, overseeing the rebuilding of that nation’s economy. In 1975, he directed the Vietnamese resettlement project at Fort Chaffee, Ark., relocating 50,000 refugees in less than eight months. According to those who knew him, he was viewed as “calm in the midst of turmoil and violence, not easily rattled, and possessing a lively sense of humor.”
Survivors include his wife, Marcia A. Wiss, and their two children, Christopher C. W. and Joan Merle; three children from his first marriage to the late Barbara McCloskey, who died in the early 1980s, Mark A., Donald G. Jr., and Jean; and seven grandchildren.
JOHN DRAKE HOFFMAN *49
John D. Hoffman, a materials engineer, died Feb. 21, 2004, in Washington, D.C., of congestive heart failure. He was 81.
Hoffman earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry at Franklin and Marshall College, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in that subject from Princeton. During WWII, he served on the Manhattan Project, responsible for developing the first atomic bomb. In recognition of his brave rescue of three coworkers after an explosion at the Naval Research Lab in Philadelphia, Hoffman received the Soldier’s Medal for noncombat heroism.
After the war he joined the National Bureau of Standards and remained there almost 30 years, retiring in 1982 as director of its national measurements laboratory. From the mid-1980s through the 1990s Hoffman taught materials science and engineering at the U. of Maryland and Johns Hopkins U. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Hoffman enjoyed hunting and photography. Predeceased by his first wife, Barbara, he is survived by his second wife of 23 years, Dolores, three sons, two stepdaughters ,and seven grandchildren.
LAWRENCE JAMES WATHEN Jr. *49
Lawrence James Wathen died May 12, 2003, after a brief illness. He was 93.
Born in Dallas, Tex., Wathen earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the U. of Texas at Austin. He did further graduate work in art and archaeology at Princeton. He was awarded one of the first Fulbright Fellowships for study at the U. of Rome.
During WWII Wathen served in the Army in North Africa and Italy. He subsequently taught world literature, philosophy, and art history at the U. of Florida in Gainesville and, for about 40 years, at the U. of Houston-Downtown.
Wathen was a world traveler, and an avid opera and theater fan. He is survived by his sister, Dorothy Mayers.
HANS K. SANDER *55
Hans K. Sander died Feb. 2, 2004, in Princeton. He was 79.
Born in Berlin, Sander emigrated to the US in 1937. He attended Columbia and earned an MFA at Princeton’s School of Architecture. He practiced in Princeton, designing numerous campus renovations. Beginning in the 1960s and extending to the early 1990s, Sander served on the Princeton Township Planning Board and then on the Princeton Regional Planning Board. As chairman much of that time, he was critical to the development of the community master plan. For his role in developing guidelines for design review boards, he was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
Sander leaves behind a daughter, a son, and his partner, Yvonne Bleiman.
JOHN B. KEELEY *57
John Keeley, an expert in military and national security affairs, died Feb. 20, 2004, of pneumonia following lung-cancer surgery in Alexandria, Va. He was 74.
Son of a career Army officer, Keeley graduated from West Point in 1952, earned a master’s from Princeton in politics, and returned to West Point to teach from 1957-60. He served in Vietnam during the Tet offensive as commander of an infantry battalion responsible for maintaining open roadways to Saigon and subsequently commanded the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Armored Division in West Germany.
Retiring from the Army at the rank of colonel in 1976, he taught over the years at the U. Va., Georgetown, and the Naval War College in Newport, R.I, where he also founded a think tank called the Newport Institute. In addition, he worked as military-affairs commentator for CNN, and took civilian posts as director of policy guidance at the CIA, and as national security aide for Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.).
Keeley was a volunteer for organizations that benefitted children suffering from terminal illnesses and became board chairman of Children’s Hospice International in Alexandria.
He leaves his wife, Catherine, four children, and four grandchildren.
SHARON B. GRANT-HENRY *90
A light shining for social justice has gone out. Sharon Grant-Henry, teacher, singer, and social visionary, died Feb. 3, 2004, in San Diego at age 54. The cause was a heart attack, triggered by complications of lupus.
In 1964, when she was only 14, Grant-Henry joined picket lines organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) at San Diego banks and grocery stores to protest job discrimination against African Americans. Her experience convinced her of the need for social activism, which she later applied to the feminist movement and to higher education.
Grant-Henry earned a bachelor’s in sociology from UC-San Diego, and master’s and PhD in cognitive psychology from Princeton.
At San Diego State U, where she taught psychology, Grant-Henry headed a program that prepared students for cross-cultural counseling.
After a flare-up of lupus forced her to retire as a professor emeritus, Grant-Henry taught black history at MiraCosta College and planned a charter school, Fanno Academy, for children of color. She also sang with a swing orchestra. Her life mission was, as she said, to open people’s minds, “to let just a little light in” wherever it was needed.
Grant-Henry is survived by her partner and two adult children.
This issue has an undergraduate memorial for Robert Parsons Miller ’45 *54.
