November 21, 2007: Memorials

RICHARD ELLSWORTH KEENEY ’42

Dick, a lifelong resident of Gardner, Mass., died of a stroke Jan. 1, 2006. He prepared for Princeton at Gardner High School and Mount Hermon School. At Princeton he majored in economics.

During World War II Dick was a staff sergeant stationed in England with the 8th Army Air Force. His main duties involved maintenance and installation of top-secret bombsights. After the war he joined Gardner Savings Bank. On Oct. 15, 1949, he married Norma S. Pederson. They had two children, John A. and Catherine E. Dick spent his entire career with Gardner Savings, where he instituted NOW (negotiated order withdrawal) accounts, which allowed drafts to be written against interest-bearing savings accounts. He rose to become a vice president.

On the Sundays of the seasonal time changes, he reset the bank’s clocks, with John tagging along! Every year he took time off for a family vacation in Marion, Mass., of which John has fond memories.

Dick retired in 1979 at age 62 to enjoy his family and his avocations — reading about history, studying foreign languages, and keeping up on current events. He was a passionate Red Sox fan.

The class mourns, along with Dick’s family, the loss of a man of honesty and integrity.

The Class of 1942

JOHN SPENCER DAVIS ’43

Spence died June 15, 2007, at age 85 of complications from a stroke in East Hampton, N.Y., where he lived full-time since 2003. He was an investment banker in Washington for more than 50 years, living in Bethesda, Md., and part-time in the East Hampton home he and his wife, Sarah, bought in 1960.

Spence was born in Nanking, China, where his father, John Ker Davis, was U.S. consul general. His family escaped China during the 1927 nationalist uprising. He lived in Korea, Poland, Norway, and England while his father was a diplomat. He prepped at Lakeside School in Seattle. At Princeton he majored in SPIA, was intercollegiate badminton singles and doubles champion in 1941, and belonged to Cloister Inn. He enlisted in the Navy during World War II and saw action during two years on LST-693 in the South Pacific.

Spence married Sarah Kimball in 1944. They settled in Washington after the war, and he entered the investment business. He retired from Morgan Stanley as senior vice president at age 80. He was a commercial pilot and flew his twin-engine Cessna 310 to East Hampton or Vermont on weekends and holidays.

He is survived by Sarah; his sons, John

Jr., Christopher, and Tracy; and four grandchildren.

The Class of 1943

JAMES HENRY MASON IV ’43

Jim, a retired surgeon and a past president of the Atlantic County (N.J.) Medical Society, died May 18, 2007, of a ruptured aneurism at the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City. He was 85.

Born in Atlantic City and the son of a doctor, he graduated from Atlantic City High School. At Princeton he majored in biology, joined Campus Club, and graduated magna cum laude. He earned a medical degree from Columbia University in 1946 and practiced more than 40 years at the Atlantic City Medical Center. During the Korean War he was an Army medical captain at a battalion aid station’s M.A.S.H. unit, and was surgery chief at an 8th Army hospital in Seoul. He later joined VFW Post 3361 in Ventnor City, N.J., where he lived for 73 years.

Jim was an avid stamp collector, historian, civic worker, and visual-arts student, and won many awards in those fields. He founded the Ventnor City Historical Society and Ventnor City History Museum, the latter in 2006 with materials he had spent 20 years collecting.

Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Helen Dempsey Mason; his children, James Henry Mason V and Cynthia Mason Purdie; three grandchildren; and two sisters-in-law, the widows of his two brothers.

The Class of 1943

Newton D. Angier ’47

Many of us will remember Newt for his engaging smile, effervescent humor, and witty discourse delivered in a courtly Southern accent.

A patriotic “Tar Heel,” he was schooled in Durham, N.C., and came to us after two semesters at Duke. He graduated in 1947 and soon married June Sherrill (a union that lasted for 24 years, followed by 20 years of separation, and finally divorce in 1992). They had three children; sadly, one of them died at a young age.

During his successful, quite diverse, professional career, Newt helped to manage several businesses in the food-service field, as well as an investment firm and a lumber company.

In 1957 he moved permanently into a beautiful old home (in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains) in historic Flat Rock, N.C. With zeal and skill he helped revitalize that beautiful town by rehabilitating its Episcopal Church into an active parish with a full-time minister, founding a historic preservation society, and invigorating the local playhouse, which ultimately became the State Theatre of North Carolina.

For our 50th Newt wrote, “I travel a lot, court a little, and drink as much as always.” Sadly, he fell ill this year and died May 29, 2007. He was missed by many at our 60th.

We send this celebration of a unique, beloved classmate to his two children.

The Class of 1947

Robert Hart Bolling Jr. ’48

A loyal and enthusiastic Princetonian with a gift for lifelong friendships, Bob Bolling died Aug. 26, 2007, after a long illness. A native Philadelphian, he lived most of his life in the Wilmington, Del., area.

Bob was a graduate of Pomfret, served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946, and graduated from Princeton in 1950 with honors in electrical engineering. He was a member of Ivy. At 81 Blair he roomed with Sugar Jim Henry, Beau Williams, and Peter Winants. Bob was known to his pals as “Mink.”

Bob’s career was in electrical engineering, first with Philadelphia Electric, then for the city of Newark, Del., and finally with his own consulting firm. He was active in the community and served on many boards, including the Tower Hill School, Wilmington Trust, and the Atlantic Salmon Foundation. In 1999 he received the University of Delaware Medal of Distinction.

Bob and Joan Ross were married in 1950. They and their extended family have always been involved with sports, hunting, and fishing, particularly in Nantucket, Saranac Lake, and Royal Oak, Md.

Bob is survived by Joan; their children, Wilhelmina, Ginny ’77, and Robert III ’79; his brother, Chick ’45; and 10 grandchildren. To them all, the class extends its fondest condolences and mourns a special friend.

The Class of 1948

William Dill Rogers ’48

Bill Rogers cut a wide swath in diplomatic and legal circles. He was an avid fox hunter, a theater buff, and an all-around good guy with a splendid gift for friendship.

He came to us from St. Andrew’s School in Delaware. At Princeton, Bill was a varsity swimmer, worked on the Bric-a-Brac, was a member of Cannon, and graduated with honors in SPIA. He met Suzanne “Suki” Rockford the summer before beginning Yale Law School. They were married in 1949.

Bill hit the ground running, clerking first for federal Judge Charles Clark and then for Supreme Court Justice Stanley Reed. After joining Arnold & Porter, Bill said, “I cut my professional teeth helping in the defense of Owen Lattimore and writing the brief in the Supreme Court test of the loyalty program.”

Bill periodically interrupted his flourishing law practice to serve the government in Republican and Democratic administrations. He had many assignments at the State Department. Gerald Ford appointed him undersecretary for economic affairs; he has been publicly credited for negotiating the Panama Canal Treaty; and he was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Bill died as he had lived — active and enthusiastic. He suffered a heart attack Sept. 22, 2007, while fox hunting on his favorite hunter, Isaiah. To Suki and sons William Jr. and Daniel, the class offers condolences on the death of a noble and affable friend.

The Class of 1948

Bradford Wells ’48

Brad Wells died July 27, 2007.

A native of Cleveland, he joined us by way of Western Reserve Academy. A member of Prospect and the Glee Club, he graduated from Princeton with high honors in SPIA and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

After graduation he joined the State Department and was posted to Germany in Frankfurt and Bremen. In 1953 he was transferred to Monrovia, Liberia, and said, “A year there was enough to convince me — or any reasonable man — that the Foreign Service was not for me.” He returned to enter Harvard Law School and start a career.

In 1956 Brad and Joan Sparrell were married and moved to Denver, where they produced two sons and two daughters. Brad’s law practice went on apace. He helped found the Samaritan Center and a food bank. Travel, golf, and a novel marked his retirement years.

To Joan; the couple’s children, Brad, Peter, Sarah, and Marti; and six grandchildren, the class extends its profound condolences.

The Class of 1948

Clarence Geist Ely ’54

Geist Ely, a longtime resident of New York City, who most recently lived in Lakeville, Conn., and Miami, died June 22, 2007, at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, Conn., after a short illness.

Born in Philadelphia, he graduated from St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H., and completed a postgraduate year at the Lawrenceville School. His graduation from Princeton was delayed by a tour of duty in the Army in Korea. He was a member of Tiger Inn and played varsity hockey.

In addition to being an outstanding golfer, Geist became chairman of the golf committee and board of governors of the Fishers Island Club. He was a member of the Racquet and Tennis Club in New York City and the Sharon (Conn.) Country Club.

During his multifaceted career, he was associated with the investment firm, Janney Montgomery Scott, was a founder of Ondine’s nightclub in New York, and while in St. Croix, USVI, started an inter-island airline. He retired in the 1970s as a vice president for Dean Witter Reynolds.

In addition to his fiancée, Margaret H. Douglas-Hamilton, he is survived by his children, Van Horn III, Clarence Geist, Melinda, and Center Marshall, and five grandchildren. After his younger sister died, he raised her daughter, Elizabeth Gay. One of her four children is named “Geist” after him. The class extends sympathy to them all on their loss.

The Class of 1954

Sidney F. Wentz ’54

Sidney Wentz of Hobe Sound, Fla., Little Compton, R.I., and Florham Park, N.J., died July 18, 2007, at Massachusetts General Hospital after a short illness.

Born in Dallas, Texas, he grew up in Cleveland. While at Princeton, he was active in many committees and sports. After graduation, he served three years in the Navy on a destroyer. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1960, after which he worked for White & Case in New York City. He then became a corporate attorney for AT&T, and subsequently joined Crum & Forster, an insurance holding company.

After retiring as chairman in 1988, he served as board chairman of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and also served on several other boards, including Ace Limited Insurance Co. and Castle Energy Corp.

Sidney is survived by his wife, Barbara; son Eric; daughters Jennifer and Robin; and six grandchildren. The class extends its sympathy to them on their loss.

Memorial donations may be sent to Hobe Sound Community Chest, PO Box 511, Hobe Sound, FL 33475, or Massachusetts General Hospital Development Office, 165 Cambridge St., Suite 600, Boston, MA 02114.

The Class of 1954

Henry Bartholomew Cox ’59

Bart Cox, a distinguished historian, died April 8, 2007, at his home in Fort Washington, Md. He had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

Bart attended the Landon School, where he was president of the student council. At Princeton he rowed varsity crew, majored in art and archaeology, presided over the Christian Science Organization, and joined Key and Seal. Following Princeton, he earned a master’s and a Ph.D. in history and a law degree from George Washington University.

Bart served as a historian with the State Department, then entered the field of archives administration at the National Archives. This led to his ultimate occupation as an appraiser, primarily of documents. In 1984 he uncovered a scheme by a former Stanford professor to sell Edison documents missing since 1976. Working with the FBI, 143 binders of unique Edison documents were recovered. Bart received a Distinguished Service Award from the Department of the Interior for his work.

Bart’s passion was collecting — both documents and cars. He assembled a complete set of the autographs of the signers of the Constitution and had four antique cars. He wrote extensively and his writing received numerous awards.

Bart is survived by Hannah, his wife of 33 years, to whom we extend our condolences.

The Class of 1959

Robert E. Kaye ’59

Bob Kaye died Aug. 10, 2006. Bob’s last known residence was in New York City. We were unable to ascertain the cause or place of death.

Bob was born in Port Chester, N.Y., and attended Horace Mann School for Boys in preparation for Princeton. A premed student, he majored in economics, sang with the Glee Club, and ate at Dial Lodge. Following graduation he attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, followed by two years as a general medical officer in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas. From there he completed a residency at The New York Hospital in obstetrics and gynecology, the field in which he specialized in private practice in New York City for many years.

Bob enjoyed tennis and skiing. He was married to the former Wendy Burnham, with whom he had three children, Anthony, Hilary, and Andrew. The marriage ended in divorce. Bob is survived by his children, seven grandchildren, and a brother, Michael, to all of whom the class extends its condolences.

The Class of 1959

Charles Cornelius Smith Jr. ’59

“Corky” Smith died June 3, 2007, in Jacksonville, Fla..

Corky came to Princeton from The Hill School, where he played varsity golf. He continued his golf prowess at Princeton, playing on the varsity squad. He majored in history and ate at Tiger Inn. Following graduation he served in the Navy for two years aboard the aircraft carrier Essex.

Corky entered his family’s Jacksonville real-estate business, Buckman, Ulmer & Mitchell, after his Navy service. Selling the business in 1980, he joined Cushman & Wakefield and later moved to Coldwell Banker/Nicholson-Williams Realty. Corky was president of the Princeton Alumni Association of North Florida and chapter president of the Institute of Real Estate Management and the Building Owners & Managers Association. He served on the boards of the Jacksonville Symphony, Travelers Aid, and the Salvation Army.

Corky was devoted to the Episcopal Church, and served as a senior warden at St. John’s Cathedral and a lay reader at St. Mark’s Church. He was a founding trustee of Jacksonville Episcopal High School.

Corky is survived by his wife, Mary Kathryn; his sons, Charles C. III, Robbins, and David; and a daughter, Leslie, to all of whom the class extends deepest sympathy.

The Class of 1959

Hartford Montgomery Davis ’61

Monty Davis, a key figure in the growth of professional theater in Milwaukee, died in his sleep May 20, 2007, following a stroke.

Born in New York City, Monty came to Princeton from Mercersburg Academy. At Princeton he majored in English, was a member of Woodrow Wilson Lodge, and was involved in Theatre Intime and many other artistic endeavors. After two years in London at the Webber Douglas School of Dramatic Art, he embarked on an acting career in the United States and Canada. In the early 1970s he settled in Milwaukee, where he was a founder and artistic director of the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. He directed more than 80 productions at the theater.

He was a committed Christian Scientist. “The two things most important to Monty were his church and the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. He felt that if he could bring great theater to you, it would make you a better person,” observed a longtime colleague in one of the many newspaper articles on his career and death.

Monty had no immediate survivors, but we received articles about him and obituaries from numerous classmates and other Princetonians — a reflection of his influence on others. We will miss him.

The Class of 1961

DWAYNE HARRY JELINEK ’64

Dwayne Jelinek died in the early hours of July 25, 2007, after a brave battle with ALS.

Born in Crete, Neb., Dwayne graduated from Omaha Benson High School, where he was active in sports and the student council. At Princeton, Dwayne majored in politics, writing his thesis on the problems of African unity, and working in the dining halls.

After graduation, he had the experience of a lifetime when he joined the Peace Corps for two years in Peru. During Peace Corps training, he met volunteer Janet Hinckley, who became his wife in 1966. After returning home, Dwayne earned an MBA at Harvard in 1968. While employed by Lewis Berger Consulting, Dwayne continued his foreign journeys, and he and Janet traveled to South America and Thailand.

Returning stateside, Dwayne moved to Denver, where, with several partners, he set up the Mountain West Research consulting firm. When they opened an office in Billings, Mont., Dwayne and his family moved there. He worked on several exciting projects, completing his career with WCS Telecom.

Dwayne was an avid fan of Princeton softball and the Nebraska Cornhuskers and enjoyed gardening. He is survived by Janet; his son, Erik Paul; his daughter, Kristi Elizabeth ’95; and three granddaughters. With his family and friends, the class mourns his loss and celebrates his life.

The Class of 1964

John S. Sease ’69

John died June 29, 2007, near Trier, Germany, after a yearlong struggle with cancer.

After Verde Valley School in Sedona, Ariz., and his freshman year at Berkeley, John transferred to Princeton, where he concentrated in classical philosophy. An accomplished French horn player, he was in the Princeton Orchestra as well as a jug band. A member of Ivy, he mastered six languages, wrote his thesis on Plato, and graduated summa cum laude.

After graduation, John spent a year at the University of Frankfurt on a Fulbright studying critical theory. Following 10 years in the Southwest with his first wife, Roberta G. Steinman *70, he returned to Germany in 1982, earned a master’s in business, taught for the European division of the University of Maryland, and began an IT career at Electronic Data Systems. He co-founded the Princeton Association of Germany and served as its treasurer for 20 years. He played first horn in the Wiesbaden Orchesterverein and for a classical quintet.

In 1992, he married Leonie Hamm, a systems analyst from Trier, and in 1998, they founded a consulting firm. John is survived by Leonie; his children, Benjamin, Constance, and Eric; his grandson, Allan; his mother, Constance; and his brother, Richard. The class extends sympathy to them all.

The Class of 1969

Graduate Alumni

Bruce M. Metzger *42

Bruce M. Metzger, emeritus professor of the New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary, died Feb. 13, 2007, in Princeton, of respiratory failure. He was 93.

Metzger received a bachelor’s degree in Latin and Greek from Lebanon Valley College in 1935, and a bachelor’s in 1938 with a master’s in 1939 from Princeton Theological Seminary. He was then ordained a Presbyterian minister. In 1942, he earned a Ph.D. in classics from Princeton. Metzger joined the Theological Seminary’s faculty in 1940, and in 1964 became the George L. Collard Professor of New Testament Language and Literature. He retired in 1984.

An eminent authority on translating the New Testament from the original Greek, he was best known for directing 30 scholars for over a decade on the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, a widely used modern edition that eliminated such archaic language as “thee,” “thou,” and “hast,” and many “he’s.” Introduced in 1990, this edition replaced the Revised Standard Version of 1952.

As scholar and translator, Metzger was a very prolific author of books on the Bible. Along with Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, he knew Coptic, Syriac, Russian, German, Spanish, French, and Dutch, among others.

He is survived by his wife, Isobel, whom he married in 1944, and two sons.

Simeon F. Moss *49

Simeon F. Moss, a longtime resident and community leader in Princeton, died April 29, 2007. He was 87.

In 1941, Moss graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s in history. He served in the Army from 1942 to 1946, winning a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. In 1949, he earned a master’s in history from Princeton. Called up for the Korean War, he served from 1950 to 1952, remained in the Army Reserve, and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1980.

Starting as a teacher, Moss worked in education throughout his career. He rose to assistant superintendent for the Newark Board of Education and in 1969 became superintendent of the Essex County schools. Retiring in 1975, he became vice president of Essex County College in Newark and also held other executive education positions until full retirement in the mid-1990s. He was a volunteer for many organizations.

Preceded in death by his first wife, Edith, he is survived by his wife, Lois; a daughter, Deborah ’87; a son, Simeon Jr.; and three grandchildren. His brother, Joseph R. Moss ’51, who predeceased him, is believed to be the University’s first regularly admitted African-American to earn a Princeton undergraduate degree. Simeon Moss is believed to be the first regularly admitted African-American to earn a degree from Princeton’s Graduate School.