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 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
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 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
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 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
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 A. Lee Hegner
Born in Denver, Lee had become Christian when he came to Princeton from Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts. He sang in the Chapel choir, played junior varsity football and varsity baseball, and took his meals at Ivy. After graduation, Lee enlisted in the Marine Corps and completed boot camp in San Diego. Honorably discharged, Lee returned to Denver where he attended law school at night while working for Honeywell in its computer sales division. On graduation, he became a deputy district attorney and later carried on a solo practice for more than 33 years while teaching. He was an adjunct professor of law at the University of Denver and served as an Assistant Attorney General for Colorado. In 1990, he traveled to Kenya and South Sudan, devoting his time to community development in sub-Saharan Africa. Lee is survived by his wife, Rebecca, and three “spectacular” grandchildren. Posted 1/30/25
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 Eugene K. Lawson
Gene died on December 28, 2024, of complications resulting from a fall. Born in Tulsa, OK, he came to us from Hotchkiss School. At Princeton he majored in Political Science, took his meals at Cannon, and founded and chaired the local chapter of AIESEC, which helped undergraduates find summer employment in Europe. Early on, Gene had a pilot’s license and was a member of the Princeton Flying Club. His roommates were Ken Lomas and Steve Schragger.
After service in the Navy, and with an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the East Asian Institute at Columbia, Gene embarked on a career in public service and politics in the Reagan and G.H.W. Bush administrations. He served as Ambassador to the International Labor Organization and as Vice Chairman of the Export-Import Bank. His career culminated in his founding of the U.S.-Russia Business Council, on which he served as President for 15 years. Over the years he spent countless hours riding, roaming, canoeing and wildlife watching at the then-Lawson River Ranch in Claremont, Oklahoma, with family and friends. In retirement he operated a consulting practice.
He was married for 39 years to Stephanie Green Lawson, who predeceased him earlier in 2024. He is survived by son Chappell; daughters Emily, Sarah and Alice; and six grandchildren.
Posted 1/30/25
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 Frank E. Michener
Frank “Mitch” Michener, M.D., passed away peacefully on December 26, 2024, in Alexandria, VA, surrounded by family. He was born July 28, 1939, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Erroll and Esther Michener. He was the loving husband of Olivia, a devoted father to Robin, Cheryl, and Todd, and the adoring granddad of Nick, Izzy, and Preston. He graduated with honors from Princeton University in ‘61, where he joined Campus Club and roomed with Tom Sansone. He then graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in '65. He also completed 4 years of specialty training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and remained on as faculty until he moved and began a private practice in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1973. With his parents and brother, Jerry, the family moved from Iowa to Evanston, Illinois where his sister, Mary, was born. The family moved to New Jersey prior to his high school years. At Passaic Valley High School he was the class valedictorian, a star athlete in several sports and an elected school wide leader. He was a person of deep faith who majored in Religion at Princeton. This led to a life dedicated to the care and well-being of others. Before retiring from his practice of 50 years in 2022, he had made a profound impact on countless lives through his compassionate approach and unwavering commitment to his patients. He was known for his keen insight, empathy, and ability to guide and comfort others through life challenges. He had a diverse set of other talents beyond his professional life. He was an accomplished landscaper, stamp collector as well as first-day cover creator and clever writer. It will surprise many to learn that he was a very competitive guy. With his extended family, he enjoyed annual family reunions and cruises, golfing, skiing, all competitive games, as well as the many summers spent in Nags Head. His subtle sense of humor delighted others. He treasured time with the extended family: daughters Robin '90 and Cheryl, son Todd (Jess and grandchildren Nick, Izzy and Preston) brother Jerry (Pat), sister Mary (Audie), nephews Mike (Lenna, Will, Amanda, Henry), Steve (Jenni, Gwynne, Layla), Dave (Brenda, Naylee), Olivia’s sister Karen Kochersperger and Dayton. He was a member of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House for 40 years where he was active in initiating new groups, adult studies and retreats, and working on outdoor projects. He was an ordained Deacon and Elder, which he considered both a privilege and manifestation of his faith. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM January 18th, 2025, at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 323 South Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314, where friends and family are invited to celebrate his life and the indelible mark he left on our community. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations to honor him be made to the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 323 South Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 (opmh.org) or to research in Glioblastoma (gbmresearch.org) in his memory. Posted 1/13/25
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 Leonard W. Riches
Bishop Leonard Wayne Riches, Sr., a beloved spiritual leader, scholar, and advocate for traditional Anglicanism, was born on March 21, 1939, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to A. Wayne and Enola (Gilbert) Riches. He passed away on December 29, 2024, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Riches is known for his extraordinary leadership in revitalizing the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), renewing traditional Anglicanism, and being an integral part of establishing the Anglican Church in North America.
He graduated cum laude from Princeton University in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. He sang in the Chapel Choir, played in the Band, edited the Nassau Herald, and ate at Terrace Club. He roomed with John Frame and Ray Chiao.
He then earned a Master of Divinity from the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church (now Reformed Episcopal Seminary) in 1964. Riches pursued further graduate studies toward a Master of Sacred Theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary). He was awarded honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees by the Reformed Episcopal Seminary in 1976 and by Cranmer Theological House in 1997.
Riches was ordained as a deacon in 1964 and as a presbyter in 1965 by Bishop Howard David Higgins. Riches served as rector for three REC parishes: St. Luke's Church in Philadelphia, First Reformed Episcopal Church in New York, and St. Mark's Church in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.
Riches married Barbara Martin, a fellow graduate of Reformed Episcopal Seminary, in 1964. Together, they had two sons, Leonard, Jr. and Jonathan, and were proud grandparents to four grandchildren, representing the fourth generation of Reformed Episcopalians in the Riches family. Riches was a teacher, professor, mentor, pastor, and bishop. He started teaching at Reformed Episcopal Seminary in 1965 as a lecturer and later became Professor of Liturgics and Theology. He was the seminary's president from 1982 to 1990 and 1995 to 1998. Upon retiring in 2015 after 50 years of service, he was named Professor Emeritus of Liturgics and Theology. He also held visiting professorships at Cranmer Theological House and Sangre de Cristo Seminary in Westcliffe, Colorado. Riches was proud that his son Jonathan completed a Ph.D. in liturgics and served the seminary for 25 years, enhancing his legacy by achieving full accreditation in 2013 and introducing a Master of Arts degree along with other programs.
In 1974, Riches was elected bishop of the Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and was consecrated in June 1975 at the First Reformed Episcopal Church in New York. He served as Assistant Bishop, Bishop Coadjutor, and later Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese from 1984 until November 2008. He served as Presiding Bishop of the entire denomination from 1996 to 2014. He helped the Reformed Episcopal Church grow and reunite with other traditional Anglicans. Riches was Moderator of the Federation of the Anglican Churches in the Americas from January 2006 to April 2008 and worked with the Common Cause Partners, helping to lead the formation of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) in June 2009, contributing to the Anglican realignment movement in the United States.
Riches served as the most senior bishop in the ACNA, installing the first Archbishop Robert W. Duncan. Archbishop Duncan said:
"Without the commitment and statesmanship of Presiding Bishop Leonard Riches, it is hard to imagine how the Anglican Church in North America could ever have come together. His wisdom and presence were an abiding gift to me personally and to the whole movement that was the Common Cause Partnership of orthodox Anglican fragments, a movement that is now a growing and united Church of some thirty dioceses and more than 120,000 believers whose mission is to reach North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ, recognized and in Communion with 60 million Anglicans worldwide."
Bishop Leonard W. Riches, Sr.'s legacy is marked by his steadfast commitment to the principles of traditional Anglicanism, his love and compassion in the spirit of Jesus Christ, his pivotal leadership in Anglican realignment, and his dedication to theological education.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara, of Pipersville, PA; his sons Leonard, Jr. (Cecilia) of Florissant, CO., and Jonathan (Beth) of Horsham, PA; his daughter-in-law Corinna; his brother Ron (Carol) of Sparta, NJ; his grandchildren Leonard III (Devan), Sam (Rebecca), Allison, and Anna; his two great-grandchildren Nolan and Luca; his nephew David; and his nieces Jennifer (Chris) and Alice (George) and all their children; Catherine, Jocelyn, Kelly, David, Jr., Charlotte, and Penelope.
Riches deeply loved his family, the church, and all God's creatures. Fondly called the St. Francis of Four Brooks, he cherished his life in this area of Tinicum, Upper Bucks County, where he cared for numerous animals, including rehabilitated wildlife. Calling hours will be held in Schneider Funeral Home, 431 N. York Road, Hatboro on Friday, January 10th, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and at Emmanuel Anglican Church, 80 Smithtown Road, Pipersville, PA 18947 on Saturday, January 11th, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by a Service of Holy Communion. A private burial service will follow.
Instead of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Anglican Church in North America (PO Box 447, Ambridge, PA 15003-0447) or The Elephant Sanctuary (PO Box 393, Hohenwald, TN 38462).
Posted 1/6/25
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 Russell F. Tremaine
Russ, 85, of East Boston, passed away December 31, 2024.
Born and raised in New Jersey to the late Lyman and Nell Tremaine. Russell was the owner and operator of Tremaine Associates Architectural Firm. He was a proud graduate of Princeton University, where he ate at Key & Seal, rowed lightweight crew, and roomed with Rough, Webster, Palmer, Radebaugh, Selwood, Buxton, Jones, Lackey and Watson. He was a Naval Lieutenant who spent two tours in Vietnam.
Beloved father of Scott Tremaine and his wife Sonia of Spain and East Boston and Julie MacKay. Loving grampa of Lucia, JJ, Quinn, Brogan and backup grampa for AJ, Madison, and Sonia’s daughter Lucia N.
A funeral service was held at Dolan Funeral Home, EAST MILTON SQUARE, Saturday January 4 at 4:00 PM. Family and friends were invited. A visitation was held prior to the service. A private burial will take place in New Jersey.
Tom Havens, who attended the service in his reunion blazer with his wife Karen Thornber '96 said, "it's important that the university and the class be represented at these somber events." Posted 1/5/25
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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  Hugh C. Scott
Hugh Chisholm Scott passed away peacefully at his home in Tiburon, California, on November 24, 2024, at the age of 85, after a prolonged illness. Born on February 20, 1939, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Scotty was the son of Robert L. Scott of Wellesley, Massachusetts and Barbara C. Cole of San Francisco, California. He attended Groton School before graduating from Princeton in 1961. Scotty was a member of the Ivy Club and the acapella group the Tigertones, but he was best known for his remarkable athleticism. Nicknamed “The Great Scott,” he excelled in football, hockey, and lacrosse. He was awarded the John Prentiss Poe Memorial Cup, the highest honor given in recognition of ability, loyalty and devotion to football. His senior roommates were McGinity, Georgescu, Spurgeon, and Miles.
Following his graduation, he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa and later an instructor for mountain warfare for climbing and skiing in the Sierra Nevadas. After finishing his service, Scotty’s professional life was dedicated to real estate development and property management. He was a fierce competitor on the tennis court, often playing 2-3 times a day in Tiburon. His agility on the most demanding mogul runs or in deep powder was truly a sight to behold; his grace made skiing look effortless. His artistic talents were bountiful, whether it be sketching, watercolors or photography. That along with guitar brought him great joy even much later in life. He is survived by his wife, Donna Scott; his son, Hugh Scott Jr.; his daughter, Alexandra Scott Torre; and his granddaughters, Isabella and Natasha Torre. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to be made to the Alzheimer's Association https://www.alz.org . Posted 12/8/24
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Edward W. Brown Edward Woodman Brown, Jr., a resident of Baltimore, Maryland, died at Blakehurst on November 13, 2024, at the age of 85.
Eddie was the son of Edward W. Brown, Sr., and Gwendolyn Cochran Brown. He was born and raised in Baltimore and lived most of his life at his favorite place in the world--Woodbrook Lane.
Eddie attended Calvert School ('51) (where his father was the headmaster), Gilman School ('57), and Princeton University ('61) and made many lifelong friends along the way. He loved sports and participated in football, wrestling and lacrosse at Gilman, going on to play lightweight football and lacrosse at Princeton, where he was captain of the lacrosse team in his senior year. He also participated in ROTC at Princeton. He joined Ivy Club, and his senior roommates were Barker, Garrett, Bill Miller, Mack, Butt, Sanger, Rankin and Driscoll.
The summer after college graduation, Eddie took some graduate classes in education at Hopkins and there he met Joyce Stevens, who would soon become his wife and companion of 62 years. Together they went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for military training and then to Germany, where Eddie was stationed for two years as an artillery officer in the U.S. Army.
After returning from Germany, Eddie took a job teaching math and coaching at Gilman School, where he was a mentor and coach to many students over the course of 16 years. At the end of his time at Gilman he attended night school at Loyola and got an MBA, which he parlayed into a second career with Investment Counselors of Maryland.
Eddie had many hobbies over the years including photography, bicycling, beekeeping, and gardening. He loved dogs and got a kick out of the many dog personalities that were part of the family over the years. His real passion, however, was the game of golf, which he learned as a young boy and played with enthusiasm for his entire life. The game of golf provided him with many of his most cherished friendships, some of which were developed during his decades long involvement with the Maryland State Golf Association, where he served on the Board of Directors Executive Committee as Vice President from 1979-1985 and in 1997, as Secretary from 1990-1996, and as President in 1986 and again in 1998-one of only two people in the organization's history who has served twice as President. Eddie was also a volunteer with the USGA on the Mid-Amateur Committee from 1990-2007.
Eddie loved his family above all. He lived much of his adult life next door to his parents on Woodbrook Lane, sharing Sunday lunches and playing many rounds of golf with his father over the years. He was a caring and dependable father to his children and a warm and loving grandfather to his grandchildren. Most of all, he loved his wife, Joyce, who was without question the most important person in his world.
Eddie is survived by his beloved wife, Joyce Stevens Brown; his two children, Gwendolyn Cochran Brooks (Gus) and Edward W. Brown, III (Shannon); his four grandchildren, Hadley M. Brown, Georgia C. Brown, Cole S. Brown, and Grace X. Brooks; his sister, Jeannette Brown Finney; and four nieces and nephews.
The family extends special thanks to Diane Fong for her kindness and care for Eddie in his last days.
A Celebration of Life is planned for early December. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in memory of Edward W. Brown, Jr., be directed to BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter) 2490 Giles Rd. Baltimore, MD 21225.
Posted 11/27/24
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 John L. Randall
New Gloucester - Dr. John Lear Randall, age 85, died peacefully at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House on November 3, 2024 after a four-year journey with Parkinson’s disease. He leaves behind his beloved wife and soulmate of 33 years, Elizabeth Randall, eight children, and nine grandchildren.
John was born on June 7th, 1939 to Mary Lear and Samuel Jackson Randall III. He was the great grandson of the 29th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Samuel Randall, who served from 1876-1881.
Born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, the first seven years of John’s life were spent in an idyllic farm community, surrounded by bucolic fields and horse-drawn plows. This sparked a love of farming and agriculture, a passion he pursued all his life. He grew up with his two younger sisters, Susie and Mary.
Upon the death of his father his family moved to Philadelphia where he attended Chestnut Hill Academy, and then studied religion at Princeton, where he ate at Quad and roomed with George Scheele. He also rowed lightweight crew and played 150 lb. football. Upon graduation he had plans to move to Germany to further his studies in theology when a trusted mentor who saw his love of service and care for people, encouraged him to instead pursue medicine. He completed his medical training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He then became an MDCM (Medical doctor of Canadian medicine), a distinction that gave him a better appreciation of global health.
After medical school he completed his internship at Pennsylvania Hospital and his residency in pediatrics at the University of Vermont. From 1968-1970, he served as Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, stationed in Charleston, South Carolina. He returned to Philadelphia to complete an infectious disease fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and at the Wistar Institute under Hilary Kaprowski before joining the faculty of the Family Medicine program at Lancaster General Hospital in Pennsylvania in 1973. Although a pediatrician, he enthusiastically embraced the philosophy of community and family health. By this time in his life, John was certified in three medical specialties, pediatrics, family medicine, and infectious disease. While in Lancaster, he and his first wife, Denney Morton, lived and raised his three eldest children, Kate, Julie, and Susan on a farm, where they raised sheep, rode horses, and grew vegetables.
During his years in Lancaster, he was involved in two major public health events. He had the unique opportunity to sit on a national committee to remediate the clean-up of the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, testifying in front of Congress on behalf of the Physicians for Social Responsibility. He also played a key role in ending the polio epidemic in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania which occurred in the same year. He and his team worked with the Amish bishops to get authorization to conduct mass immunization among the 82 parishes in the region, thus helping to end the epidemic.
In 1981, he and his family moved to Cape Elizabeth where he became the residency director and chief of family medicine at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. During his time in Portland, he studied Chinese language and Chinese medical practices and started practicing Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and continued his study of the I Ching–something he carried throughout his life. In 1986 he toured China with a medical delegation and received standing ovations for his lectures when he would describe, in Chinese, the beauties of coastal Maine.
After his first marriage ended, from 1991 to 2002, he was the chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When asked, one of his colleagues described him as “a perpetual optimist. He was an out of the box thinker – someone once told me he never actually got into the box. He believed in bringing joy to the workplace.”
In 1991 he married his current wife Elizabeth Randall in New Gloucester, Maine. He became father to three children from Elizabeth’s previous marriage, Janneke, Martin, and Tina, and he and Elizabeth welcomed two more daughters into the mix, Mary and Sydney. They lived in Philadelphia, splitting their time between the farm in New Gloucester, Maine, and Pennsylvania until he moved with his family back to the farm in 2002. After “retiring” from Jefferson, he devoted his time to working on the farm. They raised sheep, chickens, cows, and were host to barn cats, farm dogs, and two beautiful draft horses.
In 2004 he was approached about a new adventure to teach at St. Matthew’s University, Grand Cayman Island, British West Indies; two years later he became the Dean of Clinical Sciences and Chief Academic Officer, visiting the island four times a year. He held this position until 2015. He embraced this opportunity to work with students from all around the globe, many of whom were less likely to be admitted to U.S. medical schools due to inherent bias. In his later years he served as a senior consultant for the Institute of Integrative Health, now Nova Institute in Baltimore, and earned a master’s degree in Holistic spirituality, an expression of his lifelong interest in the diverse ways that humanity connects with the spiritual and the divine.
His family, friends, and colleagues will forever remember him as the ultimate Renaissance man. A lifelong lover of the arts, you could find him quoting Shakespeare or belting out Broadway at the dinner table. He had a deep love and appreciation for animals and an inherent understanding of nature. Although his wife converted him to become a Red Sox fan, his love for the Phillies and Eagles never truly left. He wrote poetry, studied opera (especially Wagner), and had a book on any subject. He had a deep sense of connection to his ancestors and felt a responsibility to honor their legacies. He was innately curious and perceptive, had an infectious sense of humor, and could talk to anyone about anything. He was committed to his community, acting as chair of the New Gloucester safety committee for ten years. But above all else he loved his family, with a deep and steadfast devotion.
He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Randall; his sister Susie MacBride; his first wife Walden Semmes Morton; his children Kate Randall, Julia Brock (Manos Soultanakis), Susan Randall (Matt Sargent), Janneke Strickland (Garred), Martin Voigt (Desirée Mühe), Bettina Herrick (Trevor), Mary Randall (Stance Osuna), and Sydney Randall (Brian Wollocko); his nephews and niece Jono and Sam MacBride, Win and Jody Alford, Frank, Mark, and Jack Kaba, Emrys Berwick, and Eleanor Meyer; his grandchildren Jack Weston, Raz and Lena Hansen, Tia Soultanakis, Elizabeth, William, and Thomas Strickland, Everly and Maximilian Herrick. He was preceded in death by his sister Mary Hopkins.
There will be a celebration of his life on November 16th, 2024 at 10:30am at the New Gloucester Congregational Church with reception to follow. In his memory donations can be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation and the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (horse sanctuary). His family would like to extend their deepest thanks to the caring staff at Gosnell Hospice House.
Posted 11/17/24
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 James B. Queen
Jim died on April 25, 2024 in his long-time home of San Francisco after an aortic dissection. Born in Winslow, AZ, he came to us from Winslow High School and was a member of the National Honor Society. At Princeton he majored in English, took his meals at Terrace Club, and was a member of the Rocky Mountain Club, the Undergraduate Schools Committee and the Skating Club. He wrote his thesis on David Herbert Lawrence. His roommates were David Bow Woo and David Entin ’62. After earning a Masters degree in English in the Secondary Schools Program at Stanford, Jim embarked on a long career teaching high school English in Los Angeles and Redwood City. He was a published poet. In retirement he traveled widely, volunteered at the San Francisco Arboretum and in Golden Gate Park, and expanded his horizons in the arts and music. Jim is survived by his sister Cristy Kent and her husband Robert. He was predeceased by his spouse, Silas Anthony “Tony” Simms. Posted 11/2/24
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  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
 Peter Burr Loomis IV
Peter Burr Loomis IV, of Chambersburg PA, died on Friday September 13, 2024 while at home in hospice care for a chronic illness. Burr was born in Detroit Michigan in 1939 to the late Peter B. Loomis III and Kathryn ( Thompson) Loomis. After high school in Birmingham Michigan, he attended Princeton University and graduated in 1961. He joined Terrace Club and served as House Chairman. He also loved sailing and Thirsty Thursdays. His senior roommates were Ryter, Goldin, FitzGerald, and Keller. He later obtained a Master of Science degree in Geological Oceanography from the University of Michigan in 1969. In his professional career he served in the US Navy and the US Naval Reserve, joining the Navy as a Seaman Recruit in 1961 and retiring as a Captain in 1989 after three tours as a Commanding Officer. He also worked as an oceanographer for the US Naval Oceanographic Office for 25 years, retiring in 1994 and remaining in Long Beach Mississippi where he and his family had settled in 1978. While in Southern Mississippi he served as the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 325 for six years and was elected to the Order of the Arrow in recognition of his service to Scouting. And his exemplification of the Scout Oath and Law. In retirement he was an avid homebrewer of beer, and also enjoyed spending time with the Society for Creative Anachronism and researching his Scottish heritage. In 2002 he and his wife moved to Chambersburg to be closer to their grandchildren. Throughout his life, he was known for his sense of humor and his love for his extended family. He is proceeded in death by his parents and his sister Marcia Calvin. He is survived by his wife Ann, his son Rip Loomis ( Carmela) and their boys Drew and Adam in Odenton MD; his son Austin in Chambersburg; and his sister Linda Loomis.in Ithaca NY. The family asks that in lieu of flowers please consider giving to a worthy cause in Burr's memory, such as UNICEF or the charity of your choice that works to aid children and alleviate human suffering. Posted 10/4/24
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 Alan B. Howard
Alan Blair Howard died at Greentree Farm in Albemarle County, VA, on August 26, 2024. He was 85.
Alan was born on March 4, 1939, in Denver, CO, the oldest child of Winston and Marguerite Howard. He grew up primarily in Littleton, near Denver. As a child, Alan had trouble reading, and some of his first teachers thought he had limited promise. Turns out, he was dyslexic. Despite this handicap, or maybe because of it, Alan graduated from Princeton University, where he rowed crew, played rugby, and joined Cap & Gown. His senior year roommate was his wife!
He earned his PhD in English from Stanford. He became a professor of English at the University of Virginia for almost four decades and for one year taught in Australia as a Fulbright Scholar. He loved to teach, and many students loved his teaching. Alan introduced students to a wide range of American authors, from Cotton Mather to Toni Morrison. He also started a master's degree program in American Studies for students who wanted to work outside academia, such as in publishing or museums. Alan was an early advocate of the digital humanities, and his students created websites that combined literature and history.
One job was not enough. While teaching, Alan tapped his Colorado roots to become a cattle farmer. He cleared fields, baled hay, hauled grain, repaired fence, and herded Angus with an enthusiasm that his teenage sons never fully understood (though Alan gave them multiple opportunities). He felt equally at home with William Faulkner and John Deere. After he retired from teaching, Alan stayed on the farm to be close to the land he loved.
Besides reading, teaching, and farming, Alan loved his family, blue jeans, dogs, old maps, UVA sports, and chocolate-covered cherries.
Alan is survived by his sister, Joan Maclachlan, Parker, CO; his son, Chris Howard and wife, Dee Holmes, Williamsburg, VA; his son, Kevin Howard and wife, Beth Howard, Arlington, VA; five grandchildren, Stephen, Adam, Julia, Allison, and Eliza; ex-wife and lifelong friend, Alice Howard; ex-wife, Peg Miller; and Sherree Tannen, who took great care of him during his last years. In ways large and small, Alan's life reminds us that principled and stubborn can be two sides of the same coin.
Alan did not want funeral services. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to the American Lung Association or a charity of your choice. Posted 9/9/24
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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
 Howard G. Pontius
Howard G. “Tod” Pontius, 84, passed away on August 12, 2024 from complications of diabetes. Tod was born on May 26, 1940 in Schenectady, NY to James Wilson Pontius and Kathryn Sharp Pontius. He graduated as Valedictorian from Nott Terrace High School in Schenectady, NY in 1957, and from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1961, where he ate at Campus Club, served as president of Whig-Clio, and of the Princeton senate, and joined the Westminster Foundation. He entered the burgeoning field of computer software management: during his professional life, he worked for IBM, Turnkey Systems, Pontius Capital Corporation, The Continuum Corporation, Computer Sciences Corporation, and Northrop Grumman. He took great pride in opening the Tokyo, Japan office for Continuum in 1989, before moving to Austin, TX in 1993, where he lived for the remainder of his life. Tod had a private pilot license and had memorable trips with his older four children to Alaska, California and Nova Scotia, among others. He was a lifelong Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians fan and enjoyed watching games on TV and attending games at “The Jake” with his extended family for his 60th and 70th birthdays. He loved spending Friday nights at Westlake High School football games, where his three younger children performed with the Hyline Dance Team and the Chaparral Marching Band. After retirement, he rediscovered his love of bridge, and playing with his partner Kate, he achieved the rank of Silver Life Master. They traveled the Northwest visiting Oregon, Washington, and Canada. Tod is survived by his life partner, Kathleen (Kate) Adams, his seven children and their partners: James (Jim) Pontius & Candy Masters, Kathryn (Corby) & Tom Jacobs, Margery (Penny) & Peter Cannici, Roswell (Bailey) & Amy Pontius, Pamela Pontius & Gregory Rankin, Elizabeth (Beth) Pontius & Andrew Clark, and Nancy Pontius & Kevin Becker; fourteen grandchildren: Andrew and Rebecca Pontius; Benjamin and Aliza Jacobs; Peter, Kelly, and Colin Cannici; Emma and Avery Pontius; William, Patrick (Patch) and Ian Rankin; and Nathaniel and Cassidy Becker; sisters Janne (and Stan) Mathes and Carolyn Tail, and his brother Jon (and Teresa) Pontius, as well as his nieces and nephews. He will be remembered as sweet, loving and brilliant, and his wit and humor will be missed. A Celebration of Life was held at Belmont Village, Westlake Hills, on Sunday, August 25.
Posted 9/2/24
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 On Wednesday, July 3, 2024 Class President Peter Pettibone spoke on the War in Ukraine as part of the Great Decisions program. This event took place at the Shelter Island, NY library in person and on Zoom beginning at 5:30 pm, and it was the third lecture he has given on this topic for Great Decisions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Given the horrific casualties on both sides, the lack of any negotiations to end the war, the possibility of the war’s escalation to include NATO forces and Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons, there will be much to discuss.
Click here to watch the Zoom on YouTube. Posted 8/7/24
As ‘61’s Co-Class Agents, Rob Walker and I are very pleased to report the final results of the Class of 1961 63rd Reunion Annual Giving Campaign—FY24: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024.
50.7% (205 members) participating; $150,575 total raised. Also, in Princeton University’s overall FY24 Annual Giving Campaign: there was 45.0% participation by undergraduate alumni/ae; $66,702,675 total raised. All my best, Charlie Rippin ‘61 Posted 7/30/24
Thanks to Bob Pickens for letting us know about this interesting presentation from our classmate Peter Georgescu: 
Click here and click the white triangle at lower left to play the 30 minute talk. Posted 7/24/24
Our 63rd Reunion was a smashing success, with seventeen classmates and ten spouses and family on hand for drinks and dinner on Friday evening, plus our annual meeting and a short post-dinner concert by the acapella group Tigressions, led by the Pickens’s granddaughter Jennifer ‘24. Present were Sue and Jim Blair, president Peter Pettibone, Maureen and Joe McGinity, Ellen Boer, Art Smith, Martha and Jim Wickenden, Lee Blyler and daughter Allison, and Charlie Rippin. Additionally, Carol Wojciechowicz, Frank Novak, Pat and Jon Hlafter, Mary and Bob Pickens, Ev Prather, Tamara and George Brakeley, Jeanne and Felix Wong, Will Somers and friend Janice Threefoot, and, last but not least, Ruth and Andras Hamori, attending his first-ever class event. He and Frank Novak had a kind of mini-reunion, having both come to us from Hungary. Click here for photos. Posted 6/4/24
University dedicates Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute
A transformative gift from Gilbert Omenn ’61 and Martha Darling *70 named the institute, which is promoting new directions in research at the intersection of engineering and the life sciences, while serving as the home for new bioengineering postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate programs.
 (At left) Bob Pickens and Ellen Boer, pictured with Gil, represented the class at the ceremony.
Posted 5/30/24
Nick and Pam Gotten visited the McGinitys in February, 2024 - still going strong!
Nick and Mary Jane Newens enjoying lunch in Palm Desert with David and Rita Wells on March 16, 2024. Dave and Nick have been fast friends since age 10 in Omaha, NE. Posted 3/18/24
Alumni Day was held on Saturday, February 24, 2024, with a class reception at Cannon Club (arranged by Evelyn Prather) following the Service of Remembrance in the chapel. The Hlafters, the Newlins, Art Smith, Charlie Rippin, and Peter Pettibone attended, along with Evelyn and her family, pictured here. 
L-R: Daughter Marnie O’Connell, Sons Tony and Alex Prather, Ev, Daughter Wendy Burwell, Grandson Nicholas Prather (Tony’s son).
Posted 3/13/24
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