Robert D. Armstrong

 

David died on June 20, 2025, in Texas after a long struggle with Parkinson’s. Born in Dallas, he came to us from Sugar Land High School. At Princeton he majored in Classics, writing his thesis on Sophocles and winning the Stinnecke Prize and the Robbins Prize. He was managing editor of the Nassau Lit and took his meals at Wilson Lodge. His roommates were Gordon Goodfellow and Michael McAshan.


After Princeton, David earned a Ph.D. in Classics at the University of Texas, Austin, where he worked with the renowned classicist William Arrowsmith. He then embarked on a teaching career in Classics at that university, with several stints as a visiting professor at Princeton, where he relished teaching in some of the same rooms where he had been a student. He became friends with a renowned ancient historian, Peter Brown.  He retired in 2006, remained in Austin, and continued his scholarly work even when gravely ill.  His many publications ranged from Latin poetry to ?ellenistic philosophy.


David is survived by his spouse Marcos Jimenez, his sister Peg, and his longtime friends in the class, Andras Hamori and John Cooper.

 

Posted 8/23/25  


 

 

Thomas N. Klug

 

Of Mequon, passed away peacefully July 28th, 2025, at the age of 86. Born in Milwaukee, Tom attended Milwaukee County Day School where he made life-long friends, the first of many he gathered throughout his life. It was also during his high school years that he met Janie Rice on a beach in Oostburg who became his beloved wife of 60 years.  Tom and Janie were married shortly after he graduated from Princeton University (where he joined Tower Club, Whig-Clio, and roomed with Tim Mygatt, Rob Walker, and Stu Tuffnell), and before he started law school at the University of Michigan. He later graduated from Marquette University Law School and went on to become a litigation attorney, practicing with Borgelt, Powell, Peterson, and Frauen for 50 years. Tom served as president of the firm for many years and was proud to have argued 26 cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

 

Tom also enjoyed serving in Rotary International, as an elder and usher at Fox Point Lutheran Church and as president of both the Town Club and Ozaukee Country Club. An avid golfer, Tom also enjoyed fishing and hunting, particularly at the Outback Lodge on the Peshtigo River, sailing, tennis and his favorite sport, platform tennis. He also enjoyed traveling with Janie including much time spent at Harbor Ridge in Florida, and trips to Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Shanghai.

 

Together, Tom and Janie raised their four children. He spent many hours holding court at the dinner table teaching the finer points of storytelling, defending ideas and public speaking. On the courts, he coached his children on strategy, tennis shots and hitting paddle balls off the screens.  

 

Tom was predeceased by his wife Janie, their beloved son Frederick Rice Klug and his parents Norman Robert and Florence May Klug. He will be missed by his children and children-in-law Barbie and Tony Giambra, Heidi and Mark Bass, Fred’s wife Kim Klug and Peter and Heather Klug. Further survived by other loving relatives and friends. 

 

His willingness to give golf lessons, Uber-Klug rides and life wisdom will be fondly remembered by his grandchildren Liza Lucky, Marlo Giambra, Emily and Charlie Bass, Nicholas (Felicia) Klug and Tyler, Bella, and Myles Klug. He is also survived by four great-grandchildren, Adeline, Charlotte and Juliette Lucky and Thea Moore, as well as his sister-in-law Lori Murphy Rice.

 

A private burial was held at Wisconsin Memorial Park, and a celebration of life will take place later this year at Fox Point Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Fund https://maccfund.org/ in Tom’s memory.

 

 

Posted 8/11/25  


 

Linda Frender, our late classmate Walt Petraitis’s daughter, has a bunch of his Princeton memorabilia, pictured below. She will be happy to send any of it to any of our classmates who request it. You can contact her at lindafrender@yahoo.com if you have an interest.

 

 

Posted 8/11/25  

 

 

Robert B. Wilkinson

Bob died on October 26, 2024 in San Diego, CA. Born in Camden, NJ, he came to us from Vineland High School. At Princeton he majored in Chemical Engineering, participated in track for two years, played I.I.A. sports, and was a NROTC Midshipman, which foreshadowed his long career in the Navy.  He took his meals at Cloister Inn and roomed with Damon Runyon and Ed Zschau in Patton Hall.


Following Princeton, Bob entered the Navy ‘s Submarine Service and retired as a Captain after 27 years of service.  Along the way he earned an MS in Mathematics at Purdue University. After retiring from the Navy he worked for the Department of Energy in environmental clean-up work and had leadership assignments with Allied Technology Group, Duke Engineering, and Perkin Elmer.  Roomie Ed Zschau has observed that “Bob’s contributions to the energy field after his military retirement are significant and inspiring.” As persons of deep faith, he and Judy were deeply involved in their churches wherever they lived.


Bob is survived by Judy, his wife of 63 years; daughters Beth ’84 and Lisa; and their families, which include six grandchildren.   

 

 

Posted 8/8/25  


 

Thomas S. Ellis III

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Selby "Tim" Ellis III passed away peacefully at home in Keswick, Virginia, on July 30, 2025 at the age of 85.

Judge Ellis was born on May 15, 1940 in Bogotá, Colombia. His family lived abroad in locations throughout Central and South America, returning to the United States when he was a teenager and living in several states here before his graduation from Greenwich High School in Connecticut. He attended Princeton University on a United States Navy ROTC scholarship, where he ate at Tower Club, joined the Navy ROTC, and roomed with Roger Morgan, Labarthe, Gustafson and Romney.

 

He served as a Naval aviator until 1967. Judge Ellis's squadron, the VF-74 "Bedevilers," was the first to deploy with the Navy's now legendary F-4 Phantom II fighter-bomber. That Judge Ellis flew the supersonic Phantom off of aircraft carriers was no surprise to anyone who traveled with him in a car. He did not believe in braking and lived at warp speed.

Judge Ellis always said that being a Navy fighter pilot was the only job he ever wanted, but life and his vision exams had other things in store. The path toward what he later described as the only job for which he was suited began in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Judge Ellis graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1969 and was awarded a Knox Fellowship for study in England, where he received a Diploma in Law in 1970 from Magdalen College, Oxford.

His next stop was the law firm of Hunton and Williams in Richmond, Virginia, where his whirlwind legal performance earned him the nickname "Tazmanian Devil." At Hunton, Judge Ellis distinguished himself as a gifted commercial litigation partner in numerous complex cases. But he always maintained his greatest achievement was remaining employed after he and another lawyer lost Lewis F. Powell, Jr. 's briefcase. That briefcase contained tax returns needed for the future Supreme Court Justice's pending confirmation hearing. He viewed this as a testament to the kindness and restraint of Mr. Powell. The time spent in front of Mr. Powell's desk, relating the mishap and awaiting the outcome, may be the only minutes of Judge Ellis' legal career that ever moved slowly. He remained at Hunton until 1987.

In that year President Ronald Reagan appointed Judge Ellis to his position as United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia. Known as the "Rocket Docket" for its speedy adjudication rate, the Eastern District was the perfect home for "Taz." He was a demanding jurist with a strong courtroom presence. In his 38 years on the federal bench, he struck fear in the hearts of many unprepared attorneys, and inspired and encouraged many more to rise to the occasion. He was a dedicated mentor, especially for his 80 law clerks. Judge Ellis took immense pride and pleasure in his law clerks and the other members of his court family, sending each of them off into the legal world with invaluable experience and celebrating their successes. He also famously cried at their weddings, especially when he was the officiant.

Judge Ellis often was asked which aspect of his judicial career made him most proud. His answer was immediate, and involved none of the many significant cases he heard throughout his long tenure. His law clerks and court family always came first. Second were the naturalization ceremonies he conducted. Judge Ellis believed wholeheartedly that the new citizens assembled before him represented the United States at its best and most promising. Spanish was his first language, and he took pride in learning words of welcome in multiple languages to offer the attendees. Frequently there was laughter at his mispronunciations, but always there was joy and celebration. And always his reminder to each new citizen that our freedoms came at great cost, and that with citizenship comes great responsibility. Judge Ellis served his country well.

Judge Ellis was preceded in death by his sister, Eve Brookie Adams Jr. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Rebecca; his sons Alexander (Amy) and Parrish (Caroline); and grandchildren Jacob, Sarah, and Grady.

In keeping with Judge Ellis' wishes, there will be no memorial service. Family and friends will gather in remembrance at a future date.

The family is deeply grateful to the staff and volunteers at Hospice of the Piedmont (hopva.org) who were there at every step along Judge Ellis' final journey. Should you wish to make a memorial contribution, please consider this worthy organization.

 

 

Posted 8/2/25  


 

John H. Lewin, Jr.

 

John died at his home in Bethany Beach, DE on June 12, 2025. He was 85 years old and was born in Baltimore, Md. on August 22, 1939.

 

He grew up in Ruxton, MD, and graduated from Gilman School, Princeton University, where he joined the Prince, Theatre Intime, and Colonial Club, where he lived senior year along with Korz, Perry and Wu. He received a J.D. from the University of Maryland school of law.

 

He became a partner at Venable, Baetjer and Howard where he had a litigation and business practice. He also served as President of the Baltimore City Bar Association and belonged to several law clubs as well as the Elkridge Club, the Bachelors Cotillon and the Cripple Creek Club in Delaware. After his retirement from Venable he worked as a mediator.

 

He enjoyed traveling to play golf, painting watercolors, jazz music (he was a drummer) and he wrote four books about his life and career.

 

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Tolly Lewin, his children Janet and Jack Lewin, their spouses and six grandchildren. His brother, Mike Lewin, died in 2019.

 

A service in his memory is planned for this fall in Baltimore.

 

Posted 7/22/25  


 

Francis A. Towne

 

Francis Anthony Towne, a devoted educator, talented musician, and beloved brother and uncle, passed away peacefully on June 15, 2025, at the age of 86.


Born on May 20, 1939, Francis was raised in Verona, New Jersey, where he graduated from Verona High School in 1957. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Princeton University, where he ate at Court Club, performed with the Savoyards, and roomed with Dave Johnston. He later received a Master's degree in chemistry from Purdue University.


Frank dedicated four decades of his life to teaching at The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey, where he not only inspired countless students in the classroom but also found a deep passion for the performing arts. He was an enthusiastic contributor to the school's theater productions, often lending his skills as a musical accompanist and backstage supporter.


After retiring, Francis spent 20 years in Manasquan, New Jersey, before moving to Applewood Village in Freehold, where he became an active and cherished member of the community. He performed with the Chorus and Instrumental Jammers, contributed to the residents' magazine The Spicy Apple as a board member and author, and enjoyed many games of bridge.


Music was a lifelong love for Francis, fostered by his parents' own musical talents. He sang in the church choir as a child, played piano, and remained a dedicated opera enthusiast throughout his life.


A lover of wordplay and logic, he also found great joy in crossword and jigsaw puzzles, which he approached with his characteristic wit and patience.


Frank was predeceased by his partner, Jeffrey Holcombe, his parents, George F. Towne, Jr. and Sophie M. (Molfetta) Towne; his sister, Carol Schaub; and his brother, Thomas N. Towne. He is survived by his brother, George F. Towne, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins who will remember him for his intellect, creativity, and spirit.


He will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

 

Posted 7/4/25  


 

Adrian A. Colley

 

Adrian died on April 24, 2025 at home in San Francisco. 

 

He grew up in Lancaster, PA and Princeton Township, preparing for Princeton at the Taft School. At Princeton, he majored in History, graduating Magna Cum Laude. His senior thesis was about Pierre Laval and the Popular Front in France before the Nazi invasion. He played varsity soccer and arranged charter flights out of New York for members of the community. 

 

He ate at Cottage Club, and his senior roommates were Chip Hatch, Alex Forrester, Fred Sheehan, Curtis Campaigne and Sam Rea.

 

Adrian then earned his law degree and MBA at Columbia. He was counsel for Gulf Oil and general counsel for Chevron. Adrian particularly enjoyed the travel involved to the Gulf States, and traveled extensively with his partner of many years, Annella Wynyard. Their last sojurn was closer to home early in 2025 to the largest and driest state park in California: Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

 

He is survived by Annella and his brother David.

 

Posted 6/24/25  


 

Douglas F. Greer

 

Dr. Douglas Fielder Greer, 85, of Washington, DC, passed away peacefully on June 12. He was the beloved husband of Annette and devoted father to Christianne and Cliff, as well as proud grandfather to Calvin (10) and James (6). 

 

Born in Charleston, SC, Doug’s childhood was marked by adventure and travel, living in Japan and France as the son of Colonel Fielder Greer, while calling Arlington, VA home. A Princeton graduate in the liberal arts, where he joined Dial Lodge, Triangle Club, and Crew, and Columbia-trained physician, Dr. Greer had both a depth and diversity of interests and talents. At the pinnacle of his career, he ran a solo ophthalmology practice in Washington D.C. for several decades, and performed eye surgery for underserved populations in the Caribbean. 

 

Outside the clinic, he was an accomplished musician, lifelong writer, and lover of the performing arts. He composed music and wrote plays and films filled with wit and imagination, as well as fiction novels. He was also an athlete, playing football, rowing crew, and later developing a love of tennis. 

 

He will be remembered as a deeply interesting person—with a sharp mind, a delightfully goofy sense of humor, a generous heart, and a remarkable resilience in the face of adversity. 

 

Funeral service will be held on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 11am at Pumphrey Funeral Home, 7557 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD. Visitation will be one hour prior to service.

 

 

Posted 6/19/25  


 

Nicholas MacNeil

 

 

Nicholas MacNeil died at home on May 23, 2025, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Born August 31, 1939, in New Jersey, Nick and his sister Elizabeth spent their childhood years in Haiti, where their parents lived from 1947 to 1967. Nick attended Ridley College, a Canadian boarding school, and then Princeton University, where he ate at Charter, joined the Sailing Club, and roomed with Cy Adams, Lopez, Powers, Baker, Merrill Burton, and Kremer. Then followed four years in the Navy, including two years on an LST.

 

Nick joined the State Department Foreign Service in 1966. He served in Guatemala and after 8 months of Vietnamese language training he went to Sadec, Vietnam for 18 months as a district advisor with the US Agency for International Development. Afterwards, Nick earned a Master’s in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he met his wife, Linda Blackwelder.

 

In 1974 Nick was posted back to Vietnam, to Danang, to report on security conditions. Linda and their 8-month-old daughter Marcia joined him there. In March 1975 the South Vietnamese government collapsed in Danang and they were among the last to leave. Nick received the State Department Award for Valor for his role in assisting American civilians and Vietnamese refugees to escape from Danang.

 

Nick’s following post was in Bogota with his family. He subsequently left the Foreign Service and joined the Carter-Mondale campaign. In 1980 he reapplied to the Foreign Service and was assigned to a Vietnamese refugee program based in Bangkok. His family joined him there. They had three more overseas postings in New Delhi, Montreal, and Fiji before Nick retired in 1996.

 

Nick had a number of interests outside the Foreign Service. He worked on house renovation in Old Town, Alexandria. He loved sailing; for two summers he taught sailing at Fishers Island; in Fiji he sailed a Hobie Cat. With his son John he went on camping trips in the Canadian Rockies and Pacific Northwest. He loved Haiti, and felt that his life had been strongly influenced by the spirit and suffering of that country.

 

Nick and Linda moved to Staunton in 2001. Nick enjoyed the cultural life of the city and served on the boards of the Valley Conservation Council, the Staunton Kiwanis Club, the Staunton Democratic Committee, as well as Rail Solution, to reduce truck traffic on I-81.

 

Nick is survived by his wife of 53 years, Linda Blackwelder MacNeil; his daughter, Marcia, and her husband, Ricardo Espitia, and their two sons, Timoteo and Ian; his daughter, Laura, and her husband, Matthew Tolbert; and his daughter-in-law, Ruxandra, and her two daughters, Zelda and Isadora. Nick was pre-deceased by his parents, Charles and Barbara MacNeil, and in 2020, by his son, John.

 

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

 

 

Posted 5/29/25  


 

Pierce A. Chamberlain III

 

We lost Pierce on March 23, 2025. Born into a Princeton family, he came to us from Deerfield Academy. At Princeton he majored in Art & Archaeology, took his meals at Cottage Club, and was a member of the Pistol Club. He roomed with John Waterbury, Peter Nichols, Bob McClintock and Jim DePeyster.

 

After Princeton Pierce served in the Marine Corps reserves for six years and acquired the rank of Sergeant.  He studied art and history at Berkeley and the University of Arizona before embarking on a career as an Archivist and then as Chief Curator at the Arizona Historical Society in Tucson.  He retired in 1994.

 

Married and divorced earlier, he married Karen Underhill, who survives him, along with his four children from the earlier marriage, a step-daughter, and a number of grandchildren.  

 

Posted 5/21/25  


 

Christopher F. Pool

Kit died on July 22, 2024, at home in Kennett Square, PA. Born in New York City, he came to us from St. Paul’s School. At Princeton he majored in Romance Languages and Literature, took his meals at Ivy Club, and was a member of Theatre Intime and the Right Wing Club. He roomed with Lance Odden, Sumner-Rulon Miller, Nick Carper, Joe Fitchett, Rick Rand, Frank Wisner and Lee Carter.

After Princeton Kit earned an MBA in Finance at Columbia and entered into a career in financial services, primarily related to commercial banking. A recovered alcoholic, he credited his victory in that battle to “the grace of God, a 12-step program and the support of family and friends.”  

Retiring in 2006, Kit and Judith, his wife of 53 years, settled in Fredericksburg, VA, to be near children and grandchildren, and subsequently relocated to Kennett Square.
Kit is survived by Judith, four children and three grandchildren.
   

Posted 4/29/25


Christopher L. Perry

Chris, 86, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2025 at Country House in Greenville, DE, following a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. A beloved husband and father, Chris is survived by Nancy, his wife of 53 years; a son, Jeffery (Marti) of Belen, NM; and a daughter, Kimberly Hoyt (Robert) of Stewartstown, PA.

Chris was born on September 28, 1938, in Bayshore, NY, to Glen Crawford Hayes Perry and his wife, Sylvia Wallau Perry. Chris’ father had been a war correspondent covering the White House during WWII, after which the family moved to Wilmington, DE, where the senior Perry worked for the Public Affairs Department of the DuPont Company. Chris attended The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, and Princeton University, graduating in 1961, where he ate at Colonial Club, ran track and roomed with Kurz. Then he received a master’s degree in 1962 from the Columbia University School of Journalism.

Chris’ first professional role was in 1963 with the Dover Bureau of the Wilmington News Journal where he covered politics and the state legislature. In 1969, he joined the administration of Governor Russ Peterson as chief of staff. He then collaborated with friend and colleague Mike Harkins to form “The Agency”, a political consulting firm focusing on politics and public policy issues. Chris acquired Delaware Today magazine in 1973, selling the publication in 1976 to become Chief of Staff to Eliott Richardson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Following a change in White House administrations, Chris joined in the Public Affairs Department of the DuPont Company where he rose to the position of Managing Director. During his later years at DuPont, he represented the company’s CEO Ed Woolard in launching the Business Public Education Council, a CEO-led organization that facilitated many productive initiatives to help improve the state’s public school system. Retiring from DuPont in 1992, Chris created a speech writing business where he wrote major addresses for a variety of CEOs, corporate officers and university presidents. In 2000, he and Nancy relocated to Columbus, Ohio, where he assumed speech writing duties for the President of The Ohio State University. While there, both Chris and Nancy became rabid Buckeye fans attending games and rallies, belting out the Fight Song and Carmen Ohio.

Chris and Nancy relocated to Weston, VT in 2002, where they lived for many years and during which Chris continued to write speeches for a variety of corporate executives. Eventually retiring, Chris and Nancy moved in 2017 to the warmer weather of Williamsburg, VA, and finally to the Country House in Greenville in 2023.

Chris served on the boards of Wilmington’s YMCA and Delaware Technical and Community College. In Weston, he served on the board of the renowned Weston Theatre Company and Old Parish Church.

Chris enjoyed sailing with his wife Nancy on the Chesapeake Bay, swimming, jogging and golfing. One of his greatest joys was the companionship he relished with a series of three Hungarian Puli sheep dogs: Tyke, Bruton and Trip. Only 8 years out of the 53 Nancy and Chris were married were they without one of their beloved Pulis.

Chris was most known and appreciated for the strength of his character. His integrity, compassion and a witty sense of humor were at the center of who he was.

During his last few months, Chris was fortunate to be aided by the wonderful, caring staff of the Memory Care Center and Skilled Nursing Department at Acts Country House. Their kindness, generosity of spirit and support will never be forgotten.

A memorial service for Chris will be held on Wednesday, May 7 at 11 AM at Country House, 4830 Kennett Pike in Greenville. Internment will occur at a later time in the Memorial Garden at Christ Church Christiana Hundred.

In lieu of flowers, please consider the following:

  • Acts Legacy Fund. On the memo line, please enter Country House Employee Education Fund. Acts Country House, 4830 Kennett Pike, Wilm., DE. 19807
  • The Parkinson’s Organization, Mid-Atlantic at www.Parkinson.org/Mid-Atlantic.
  • Weston Theatre Company, 703 Main Street, Weston, VT. 05161

Posted 4/22/25


The past week has brought Spring in full bloom to Pawleys Island and the warm weather has triggered more than just flowers.  

Debidue Creek water temperature has risen finally to slightly over 60 degrees and the salty denizens of Fisherman’s Paradise are stirring to life with a vengeance.

Capt. Ben and his pal Jimmie Walker were treated to a great afternoon of action.  38 fish in the boat with the high points of the day four big redfish going in the cooler after strong fights along the docks at The Honey Hole.

Lots of fillets to distribute to friends and enjoy at our table!

Ben Turnbull

Posted 4/16/25

John B. McCobb, Jr.

John passed from this world on January 15, 2025. He was the beloved husband of Maureen McCobb; loving father of Carrie, and Ryan Rockland, and relative and friend to many.

At Princeton, he ran cross country and track, and ate at Dial Lodge.His roommates were Shambough, Unger, Segura, Kerr and Jeff Morgan.

He earned a JD at Stanford, and LLM at NYU. Practiced as Counsel & Secretary at IBM Instruments.

Services held privately. Rapp Funeral & Cremation are assisting with arrangements.

Posted 4/10/25


Sidney J. Friedman

Sid died on April 3, 2025. He was born into the loving family of Eleanor and William Friedman, sister Miriam Schwab, and brother William Friedman, Jr. He attended Greenwood Grade school, and Roosevelt Junior and Senior High School. In high school he enjoyed basketball and creating the Senior Frolics.

He attended Princeton where he majored in English and graduated summa cum laude in both English and the humanities. He joined Theatre Intime and Triangle Club, and ate at Terrace. His roommates were Kuntz, Hulett, Raybin, Bassett, Brothers, and Schroeder.

Sidney did graduate work at the University of Iowa in the department of speech and dramatic art. He completed a MA degree in directing and PH D in dramatic theory. In his second year he married his childhood neighbor, Margo. Their daughter Lisa was born, and the family moved to Saint Louis where Sidney became a Professor at Washington University. There he collaborated with Princeton classmate, Richard Palmer, in creating a new performing arts program. In St. Louis, his son Mark was born.

Seeing the opportunity to work in a pre-professional program, he moved to Boston in 1981, taking a position in the School of Theatre at Boston University where he first taught acting and directing. He then collaborated in the creation of a new program called Theatre Arts for students whose interests were in theatre but spanned beyond that. He also completed over 100 plays directed, some invited to be remounted at the Kennedy Center. Occasionally, to keep himself honest, he acted under other directors. Retiring in 2018, he wrote a one man show about encountering his family’s Holocaust survivors.

Sidney is survived by his wife Margo, daughter and son-in-law Lisa and Philip Miller, grandchildren Isaiah, Leah, and Lila Miller. Son, Mark and daughter in law Alex Friedman and grandchildren Jacob and Theo Friedman, sister-in-law Johnnie Friedman. Brother and sister-in-law Richard and Linda Friedman and the late Brian Friedman. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

He is remembered by a relative as “possessing wisdom that comes from an authentic life well-lived. He had quiet strength and a stoic demeanor.” He was loving, brilliant, patient, witty, inclusive, creative, strong, motivated and compassionate. He was revered by family, students, colleagues and friends alike. A true renaissance man.

Funeral service was held on April 7, 2025 at Temple Beth Elohim, 10 Bethel Rd., Wellesley, MA. Burial followed at Woodlawn Cemetery, 148 Brook St., Wellesley, MA. Donations in his memory may be made to Dana Farber (c/o Dr. Ann LaCasce), The Sidney Friedman Prize – Boston University School of Theatre or Temple Beth Elohim.

Posted 4/10/25


Stephen Ely

Steve Ely, 85, died peacefully on March 15, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was born in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 1939, to Sterling and Helen Ely, and attended St. Albans School, receiving varsity letters in track, football, and wrestling. At Princeton he was a varsity swimmer and member of Charter Club. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a sergeant, receiving a marksman medal, and later moved to New York City to work for Kuhn, Loeb & Co. where he became a partner in 1971. In 1983, he co-founded and was a partner of Haven Capital Management.

Stephen moved to Locust Valley with his growing family and first wife, Susan, 50 years ago. He was an active member of the Locust Valley community, serving as a board member for The Grenville Baker Boys and Girls Club for 22 years and chairing the Susan Ely Memorial Scholarship Committee for 25 years. A black belt in tae kwon do, something he achieved twice, he loved to spend time playing croquet, tennis, squash, shooting skeet, and hitting endless golf balls on the practice range. He also enjoyed playing backgammon and bridge, especially during his commute on the LIRR club car, a commute he made for more than 40 years.

He had a wonderful sense of adventure and loved to travel, appreciating cultures beyond his own. He also enjoyed scuba diving, glider flying, and flying small-engine planes. More than anything, of course, he enjoyed time with his family, sharing his wisdom and warmth with each generation. His home was a gathering place for all, including many of his friends and the friends of his children through the years.

He is survived by his second wife, Jennifer, his four children, Lyda Ely (Jeff Brodlieb), Lynn Dixon (Brooke), Sara Hulse (Alex), Sterling Ely (Kelly), his stepdaughter Eliza Wehrle (JonPaul Turner) and his six granddaughters. He was predeceased by his first wife, Susan, in 1997 and his sister, Lloyd Ely, in 2012.

He will be remembered as a gentleman, kind and generous, with a wry sense of humor and an insatiable sweet tooth. Careful on the road, he may also be remembered as the slowest driver in Locust Valley as anyone who was stuck behind him can attest.

In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting The Grenville Baker Boys and Girls Club, St. Albans School (D.C.), or Caringkindnyc.org in his name. The family wishes to express their gratitude for the compassionate care from his longtime caregiver, Kirsis.

Posted 3/24/25


Rev. Dr. Glenn Edgerton, Jr.

We lost Glenn on March 15, 2025. He was born in Charlotte, NC, to Dr. Glenn Souders Edgerton and Sylvia Steele Edgerton. Chip, as he was called as a child, attended Myers Park Presbyterian Church, where he was ordained as a Presbyterian Minister. At Princeton, he joined Cap & Gown, played club football and basketball, and roomed with Fred Fisher, Landy Patton, and John Brothers. Glenn also earned degrees from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, and Union Theological Seminary in New York.  He worked for 30 years as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Glenn was best known for his intellectual curiosity and his sense of humor. He was a voracious reader and cinephile who spent his life surrounded by books. He cherished his four children and eight grandchildren and enjoyed every chance he had to be with them. He was also a proud chocoholic, loved to travel, cherished good conversation and intellectual debate, and his Princeton Tigers.

Glenn is survived by his wife Martha Kirk Pleasant Edgerton with whom he shared time at their beloved Sunset Beach House and in Raleigh, NC where they were members at White Memorial Presbyterian Church. Glenn is also survived by his first wife, Joan Pierce Edgerton, and their children Mary Allen Edgerton, Christopher (Holly) Edgerton, Shannon (Jonathan) Edgerton Ball, and Daniel (Laura) Glenn Edgerton. Glenn is also survived by his grandchildren, and his sisters Linda (Blake) Edgerton Goslen and Sylvia Ann Edgerton.

Memorial donations may be made to "Financial Aid: Enabling Students to Choose Union" at Union Theological Seminary in New York at: https://utsnyc.edu/alums/donate/

Services will be held on Wednesday, March 26, at 11AM at Oakwood Cemetery in Statesville, NC.

Posted 3/21/25


Frank G. Wisner

[from the Washington Post]

Frank, an elder statesman of American foreign policy, who worked as an ambassador to four countries, advised corporations on global affairs, and came out of retirement to help with delicate negotiations in Kosovo and Cairo, died Feb. 24 in Mill Neck, New York. He was 86. The cause was complications from lung cancer, said his son David Wisner.

The son of a decorated spy who helped found the CIA, Mr. Wisner mingled with Cabinet secretaries and Pentagon officials as a boy, shaking hands with Gen. George C. Marshall and Allen Dulles as his parents hosted dignitaries in their Georgetown home. By the time he was 13, he was determined to become a diplomat. “I could recite the names of every prime minister in the world,” he told Foreign Affairs magazine, “while my friends could tell you the starting pitchers in the American and National Leagues.”


Mr. Wisner became a Foreign Service officer in 1961 and came of age during the Vietnam War, joining a diplomatic circle that grew to include his friends Richard C. Holbrooke, who helped negotiate an end to the war in Bosnia, and Leslie H. Gelb, who became a journalist and chaired the Council on Foreign Relations. Unlike them, Mr. Wisner was seldom in the limelight. But he made a vivid impression in world capitals: bald and barrel-chested, with a fondness for claret, hunting and cigars. President Jimmy Carter named him ambassador to Zambia in 1979, and he was later tapped as top diplomat in Egypt by Ronald Reagan, in the Philippines by George H.W. Bush and in India by Bill Clinton. For a few hours in January 1993, the day of Clinton’s first inauguration, he served as acting secretary of state. The position came in between a pair of influential Washington postings, as undersecretary of state for international security affairs and undersecretary of defense for policy.


Friends who knew him in Vietnam, where he was stationed for four years at the height of the war, recalled him as “short and straight-backed, handsome and rakish,” as journalist George Packer wrote in his 2019 book “Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century.” “He spoke in a slightly old-fashioned diction that was only half jest, using phrases like ‘in due course’ and ‘well in hand,’” Packer added, “and he believed in old-fashioned concepts like having a good war, which meant seeing one’s share of action.” For Mr. Wisner, who was assigned to an interagency “pacification” program, that meant accompanying soldiers on night patrols.


While serving as ambassador to Egypt from 1986 to 1991, Mr. Wisner sought to ease tensions in Cairo after Saddam Hussein invaded neighboring Kuwait, generating panic among American expats in the region. On his next assignment, to the Philippines, he worked to stabilize relations with President Corazon Aquino, although he had less success lobbying for a lease extension that would have kept the U.S. Navy’s sprawling Subic Bay military base in place. Mr. Wisner remained an influential voice in U.S. diplomacy even after he retired from the Foreign Service in 1997, turning down a reported offer to serve as ambassador in Paris so that he could start a second career in business. He served as a vice chairman of the insurance giant AIG for more than a decade and was a board member at Enron Oil & Gas (now EOG Resources) and an international affairs adviser at the lobbying and legal powerhouse Squire Patton Boggs, where he worked until his death. While on his way out of the State Department, Mr. Wisner helped the Clinton administration in negotiations with Boris Yeltsin’s government in Moscow, aiming to curb Russian weapon sales to Iran.


Eight years later, the George W. Bush administration enlisted Mr. Wisner’s help negotiating Kosovo’s status as a sovereign state, an effort that proved largely successful — even as Mr. Wisner lamented that Serbia, Kosovo’s northern neighbor, still refused to recognize the country’s independence.


Mr. Wisner returned to the news in 2011, when he was recruited by the Obama administration to meet with Egypt’s authoritarian president, Hosni Mubarak, amid anti-government protests that were sweeping through the Arab world. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later said that she had selected Mr. Wisner to coax Mubarak, a key U.S. ally for three decades, into easing the country toward a democratic transition. The two men had a close relationship that dated back to Mr. Wisner’s ambassadorship in Cairo. But the envoy’s appeals were ignored, at least at first: When Mr. Wisner left the country not long after their meeting, Mubarak was still holding tightly on to power. Days later, Mr. Wisner made headlines when he appeared to contradict President Barack Obama while addressing an international security conference in Munich. “You need to get a national consensus around the preconditions of the next step forward,” he said, adding that Mubarak — rather than step aside — “must stay in office in order to steer those changes through.” The administration distanced itself from Mr. Wisner, with a State Department spokesman clarifying that Mr. Wisner had spoken as a private citizen, not a U.S. envoy. Mr. Wisner drew further scrutiny after British journalist Robert Fisk reported that Mr. Wisner’s employer Squire Patton Boggs did business with the Mubarak regime, in what appeared to be a “blatant conflict of interest.”


The episode was overshadowed when Mubarak resigned the next week, under pressure from millions of Egyptian protesters who had taken to the streets. His ouster set the stage for a tug-of-war among protesters, the military and the long-banned Muslim Brotherhood, with retired general Abdel Fatah El-Sisi taking power in 2014. To Mr. Wisner, the revolution’s chaotic fallout underscored the importance of the patient approach he had advocated in Munich. “We ought to have been calling for an orderly transition, rather than telling Mubarak ‘get out of town, get out of government,’ with no strategy for what happens next,” he told Washington Post columnist David Ignatius in 2016. “We needed a responsible path to stability and evolution, not revolution.”


Son of a spy
The oldest of four children, Frank George Wisner II was born in Manhattan on July 2, 1938. The family moved to Washington after World War II, and Mr. Wisner spent part of his school years in England, when his father — also named Frank — was posted in London as CIA station chief. The elder Wisner had served in World War II with the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the CIA, and later oversaw the CIA’s clandestine branch, playing a role in U.S.-backed coups in Iran and Guatemala. He was diagnosed with manic depression, now known as bipolar disorder, and took his own life in 1965, three years after he retired from the CIA. Mr. Wisner’s mother, the former Polly Knowles, was a fundraiser for Washington arts organizations and a close friend of Katharine Graham, the longtime chair of The Washington Post Co. After her husband’s suicide, Polly married newspaper columnist Clayton Fritchey.


As a young man, Mr. Wisner prepared for a diplomatic career by traveling overseas, living “with a couple of old ladies in a suburb of Tours” to learn French. After graduating from Woodberry Forest boarding school in Virginia, he studied Arabic at Princeton University, wrote his senior thesis on Algeria’s war for independence and received a bachelor’s degree in 1961. He ate at Ivy, played football and rugby, joined Whig-Clio, and roomed with Fitchett, Ward, Rulon-Miller, Rand, Odden, and Pool.


The next year, he arrived in Algiers, where he settled into his first State Department posting just as the country was celebrating its independence from France. Mr. Wisner was sent to South Vietnam in 1964 and, after postings in Tunisia and Bangladesh, joined a presidential task force managing the resettlement of some 1 million Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees.
His first wife, Genevieve de Virel, a French advertising executive, died of cancer in 1974. His second marriage, to Christine de Ganay, the stepmother of future French president Nicolas Sarkozy, ended in divorce.


In 2015, he married Judy Cormier, the owner of a New York City art gallery and design business. In addition to his wife, survivors include a daughter from his first marriage, Sabrina Wisner; a son from his second marriage, David Wisner; two stepchildren from that marriage, Caroline and Olivier Sarkozy; two stepchildren from Cormier’s earlier marriage, Jamie Nicholls Biondi and Christopher Nicholls; a brother; and 12 grandchildren.


Interviewed about foreign affairs after his retirement from the Foreign Service, Mr. Wisner repeatedly championed the importance of political engagement over military action. He joined another former ambassador, Edward P. Djerejian, in publicly cautioning against the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. “We cannot allow ourselves to be seen to be dictating to the world,” he had said in an oral history a few years earlier. “We must be in search of partnership, of balance. Not of assertion, but of compromise.”

Posted 3/9/25


John M. Neary

Born in Englewood, NJ, the son of John Neary ’32, Michael died on August 26, 2024. He came to us from the Englewood School for Boys and was a freshman fencer. He withdrew from Princeton after our freshman year and went into the Army.


We know that he worked for Boeing and operated the Neary Patent Law Office, but otherwise we know nothing about his professional or personal life, only that he resided in La Pine, OR, at the time of our 50th Reunion.


He is survived by his wife Sandra, who informs us that, per his wishes, there was no obituary.  

Posted 2/12/25



Thomas C. Braman

Dr. Braman, a resident of Palm Coast, Florida, for more than twenty years, passed away on January 18, 2025. He was the son of former Palm Coasters Hunnewell and Ruth Braman.

Dr. Braman was born in Princeton, New Jersey, but grew up in Ephrata, a small town in central Pennsylvania and maintained strong ties there. He left Ephrata in his high school junior year to attend The Gunnery, (now the Frederick Gunn School) a college preparatory school located in Washington, Connecticut, that was founded by his great, great grandfather, Frederick William Gunn, in 1850. He represents one of six generations of extended family who graduated from the school. He recently was inducted into the school's Arts and Letters Hall of Fame. Dr. Braman was particularly proud of his Scottish/Norse/English ancestral roots on both sides of his family.

He played football and basketball at the Gunnery and won a scholarship to Princeton University, but a senior year knee injury had already ended his athletic career. He transferred to Franklin and Marshall College where he earned a BA Degree in History. He went on to the University of Florida earning an MA Degree in Latin American Studies and a PhD in Latin American History. He has long remained a loyal Florida Gator, serving on the Board of the International Center, and for more than fifteen years assisting Boren Scholarship applicants through their review process. (Go Gators!)

Dr. Braman began a more than 40-year career in analysis and operations with the Central Intelligence Agency in 1964. He has often described his career as "relatively inconsequential, but eventful" and has echoed the words of a friend and colleague who said, "With what other organization could two small town boys from Pennsylvania see so much of the world?" Indeed, during his career he lived in, had temporary assignments in, or visited more than fifty countries. Of course, he always said, "There are more than a million stories in the Naked City," and, after a few wee drams of Johnny Walker, he could tell at least a hundred of them. (And, then there were the single malts.) As he said, "Some of the stories might even be true." While he enjoyed all of his CIA assignments, he frequently reminisced about meeting his future wife in South America, writing his PhD dissertation in post-coup Chile, being captured by insurgents during the first attack on the US Embassy in Tehran during the 1979 revolution, representing US intelligence liaison in the UK during the Falklands War, sleeping in former KGB Chief Lavrentiy Beria's bed in Moscow, traveling to Asia and Africa with the White House Drug Czar, being expelled from Sri Lanka during a political dispute between the President and Prime Minister of the country, and, during his first retirement, meeting, greeting and escorting friends and colleagues in Belgium. His favorite spots were Bruges and the battlefield at Waterloo.

After the terrorist attack on 9/11, Dr. Braman, like many colleagues, returned to the Agency and served overseas as a trainer, analysis instructor, and military liaison officer in various countries in the Middle East, Europe, and South Asia. He had six assignments in Iraq and is one of the few CIA officers to have served in both Iran and Iraq.

He is survived by his wife, Lillian. They have traveled all over the world. He said many times that, "Lillian has always been my wife, best friend, partner, and colleague and has made life worth living, especially during the various health issues I have faced. He is also survived by his sister, Kathleen Braman Allen of Palm Coast, and his brother, Dr. Robert G. Braman of The Villages, Florida, and many friends in the States and abroad.

The family kindly requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Thomas' name to either F.W. Gunn School (Attn: The Class of 1957 Fund), 99 Green Hill Road, Washington, CT 06793 or the Gunn Historical Museum, 5 Wykeham Road, Washington, CT 06793. Please include your name and address so the family can properly thank you. The celebration of life will be held at a later date with family and friends. The family of Dr. Braman entrusted his arrangements to Clymer Funeral Home & Cremations.

Posted 2/12/25


Sent to class secretary:

In November, Margaret and I bought a house in Albuquerque next door to two doctors, Richard Todd ‘94 and Chandler Fleming Todd ‘94.  Classic story whereby old folks move closer to their children and grandchildren.

We’ll keep our Vermont house on the shore of Cole Pond for summer visits; it was second growth National Forrest when we built the road in and our ski house forty years ago. We’ve enjoyed multiple varieties of waterfowl and raptors, woodcock, grouse, turkeys, the usual smaller birds, Pileated woodpeckers, great horned owls, foxes, black bears and an array of winter birds surrounding us in Vermont. In our new yard we have Sandhill Cranes and itinerant coyotes to limit the bunny rabbits.

Jim Todd

Posted 12/23/24  

Sent to class secretary:

 A brief update.

> Married for 63 years and still in love  with Julie (Florence)..We have 5 children, 15 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren and have twin great-grandkids coming in December. All are alive and well and we are delighted to see most of them regularly.

> We split our time between North Palm Beach, Florida and Quogue NY.

> I’m still an avid golfer and manage to shoot my age periodically. I am just now arranging a golf outing to play with Paul Earle ’61 and Chick Reeder ’60, both members of the ’60 & ’61 golf teams which won the Ivies and the Easterns. I also visited for two days with Chris Lenzo, who was my roommate Bob Epsen’s son in law. Bob is deceased but his daughters and grandchildren are doing nicely.

> In addition to my golf and family I still love reading and  working out and  have become a reasonably competent painter in colored pencils and gouache. I’ve found the painting very satisfying and it fills the space formerly occupied by competitive golf and not for profit organizations.

> Finally, although I don’t follow it closely, I’m proud that Princeton seems to be doing a better job than our

peers in dealing with the challenges facing all colleges today.

> Thank you for doing this thankless job George. All us 61ers appreciate your work.

> Cordially,

> John O'Neill

Posted 12/15/24





On September 11, 2024 Vance and Whitey Finch took a tour of the USS Cassin Young, DD-793, at the former Boston Naval Shipyard (now a National Park). Cassin Young is a “Fletcher Class" Destroyer, identical to the USS Abbot, (DD-629), Whitey’s first duty station as a young Naval officer in 1962.  There were 175 Fletcher class destroyers commissioned during WW II.  Both Cassin Young and Abbot were  mothballed when WW II ended but were brought back into the fleet in 1951 because of the Korean conflict.  Both were decommissioned by the mid-1960's.  The brass plaque in the bulkhead commemorates the battle in which Cassin Young was nearby when the USS Princeton sank and she helped rescue survivors.

Posted 10/13/24



Ev Prather and Bob Pickens represented the class at the Pre-rade on Sunday, September 1, 2024.

Posted 9/2/24

Pinckney Roberts' 1961 Hat Continues To Serve Enthusiastically!

The weather here in Fisherman’s Paradise has changed subtly and most may have missed it.  The mid-day temperature is down a couple of degrees.  The thunderstorms are less frequent. The humidity has moderated. And the winds are lighter and more East than South.  All these changes foretelling the explosion of this angler’s annual dream - The Fall Mullet Run.  Clear surf filled with millions of morsels heading South creating mayhem and opportunity for hours of excitement and minuets of great fights. But it has not started!

In the meantime, things ain’t so bad. Friday, August 30th Capt. Ben had a great day at his favorite surf spot and was rewarded with two beautiful flounder. What a greeting after a summer of blowtorch South winds and roiled water.


Low tide at Beach Access #12. The groin has matured and holds all the basics for a flounder heaven.  These two fell to small, live finger mullet captured in the creek just behind the DeBordieu Colony main club house. The top one is 17 inches long and the bottom 18 inches. Great dining for Jaye and Capt. Ben.

Ben Turnbull

Posted 9/2/24


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