Memorials: March 20, 1996

Thomas Kiernan '24
Thomas Kiernan died Jan. 17, 1996, of congestive heart failure in Chatham, N.J. He was 93. Tom was a loyal and supportive member of the class, regularly attending our major reunions and contributing each year to the university.
Tom came to us in 1922 as a sophomore transfer from Rutgers. At Princeton was a member of Dial Lodge. He earned a law degree in 1927 from Fordham Univ. Law School and was a lawyer for White & Chase in NYC, later becoming a partner. One of his grandchildren observed at his funeral, "White & Case was the only job Grandpa ever had-it was like his second family." One of his proudest moments as a lawyer and member of the firm occurred when, in 1994, shortly after his retirement, White & Case invited another of his grandchildren to join the firm as an associate lawyer.
Tom was a longtime member of the Metropolitan Opera Club and the Baltusrol Golf Club near his home. He was a member of the Princeton Club.
Tom's beloved wife of 63 years, Gertrude Brock Kiernan, predeceased him in 1994. He is survived by a son, Thomas, the well-known author; by two daughters, Maryan Herr and Joan Hamel; by 13 grandchildren; and by four great-grandchildren. We extend to them our deepest sympathy.
The Class of 1924

David Ferguson '31
David Ferguson died of a stroke Dec. 20, 1995, three weeks short of his 87th birthday. Born in Montclair, N.J., he spent the last 50 years of his life in Pittsburgh.
Following his education in Lawrenceville and Princeton, he traveled in France, Holland, and the British Isles before studying accounting in NYC, where he earned his CPA from St. John's Univ. He joined the firm of Haskins & Sells. He later worked for Copper-weld Steel Co. as assistant controller, progressing up to v.p. and controller before he retired in 1974. He was a member of the Natl. Assn. of Cost Accountants.
Fergie was a member of the Longue Vue Club, the HYP Club, and past-president of the Lawn Bowling Club of Pittsburgh. An avid amateur radio ham operator (W3APG), he enjoyed golf and lawn bowling. He and his wife, Lorraine "Lorry" Fetridge, traveled to Bermuda, the Mediterranean, the West Indies, and California. He is survived by his sister, Mrs. William (Janet) Hitchcock Jr. To her and the various nieces and nephews, the class extends sincere sympathy.
The Class of 1931

John Stephenson Evans '34
John S. (as he liked to be addressed), a retired senior v.p. and head of the national accounts department for the Trust Company Bank of Georgia, died in Atlanta Jan. 14, one week after his 83rd birthday. Following his retirement in 1973, he spent his time traveling (often to Princeton) and golfing. He was an avid golfer and golf fan; he missed only one of the annual Masters tournaments in Augusta since the inception of that classic in 1936.
A superb raconteur, he regaled classmates with his hilarious tales, in particular his one about the armless bell ringer. He was a regular reuner, both in Princeton and in Atlanta, where he used to stage his own three-day gatherings for selected groups of classmates.
During WWII, he saw action with the 999th Battalion of the field artillery in France, Belgium, and Germany, and was awarded the Bronze Star for heroic service.
In 1938 John S. married Mary Collier; she died in 1987. He leaves two daughters, Ethel Wildman and Betty Pearson; a sister, Mrs. James Simpson; three granddaughters, one great-granddaughter, and several nieces and nephews. To them we offer our sincere sympathy.
The Class of 1934

Frederick H. Howell '35
Fred Howell, of West Deptford, N.J., died Dec. 20, 1995. Fred's preparation for Princeton began at Hackensack (N.J.) H.S., where he was active in several sports. His college major was philosophy, with second group honors, and he belonged to Dial Lodge.
After pursuing graduate studies in business and law at Columbia, Ohio State, and NYU, Fred worked for nine years in accounting with Arthur Andersen. He married Dawn Lyman of Mt. Vernon, N.Y., and they lived for many years in Oradell, N.J., where they had three sons, Richard in 1939, Stephen in 1940, and Robert in 1948. Fred did his part in community service, including the board of education, boy scouting, and their church.
Later, Fred was associated with the Bay Foundation, which had in-terests in petroleum development in Texas and Colorado. He researched a book about the history and culture of the Hopi Indian tribe titled Book of the Hopi; it was published by Viking in 1963.
Fred and Dawn had recently moved to West Dept-ford. The class sends most sincere condolences to Dawn, the three sons, and four grandchildren.
The Class of 1935

Jay Robert Reist '36
Jay died Aug. 27, 1995, in Mexico. He was 81. He prepared at Penn Charter School. At Princeton he majored in politics, graduating magna cum laude, and was a member of Tiger Inn. He later studied advanced management at Harvard Graduate School.
During WWII, he served mostly in Peru as an Army lieutenant colonel and received the Legion of Merit and Commendation Medal. He was a Commander of Sweden's Royal Order of Vasa and was awarded Peru's Order of Merit and the Military Order of Ayacucho.
After the war, he managed W. R. Grace and Co.'s South American regional operations with headquarters in Lima. In 1960, to educate his sons, he returned to NYC as an international v.p. of RCA Corp. Some years later he became v.p. of the international division of the Celanese Corp. During the same year, he was a trustee and director of the Council of the Americas, New York, and Pan American Development Foundation. In 1973 Jay and his wife retired to Mexico, where he served as an administrator of a large orphanage, Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos.
Jay was a proficient writer of sonnets. In the late 1980s, Vantage Press published his book, Sonnets of Here and Now.
He is survived by his wife, Lucy, sons Derek and Michael, sister Dolly McCombs, and three grandchildren. The class will miss this loyal Princetonian.
The Class of 1936

John Jacob Fisher '45
Dr. John J. Fisher died May 20, 1995, in Jacksonville, Fla., after a courageous battle with cancer. Jack entered Princeton from Shadyside Academy in Pittsburgh, but his Princeton career was interrupted for Navy air service.
Jack earned his medical degree in 1948. He practiced obstetrics-gynecology in Jacksonville, Fla., until 1986, when he sold his practice and, with fourth wife Leah Murphy, formed Florida Medical Missions. They outfitted a 42-ft. Hatteras cruiser, as a small version of the S.S. Hope, and became medical missionaries. Jack's career included service on the S.S. Hope on voyages to Ecuador and Peru in 1962 and 1964. In 1965 he founded a mission hospital project in Honduras, which is still in operation.
Jack was married for 50 years to four wives and produced 10 children. He married Ellen Ludwig in Nov. 1942, and they had eight children. In 1967 he married Marjorie Evans and later remarried her. In his book, Victorious Journey, published in 1983, Jack recounted his frequently successful struggle against his cancer and his adventures of flying around the world in a Cessna 310, much of the way solo.
To his extended family, the class extends its sympathy but also its congratulations on their association with so outstanding an individual.
The Class of 1945

Robert Wirth Sargent '46
The class recently learned that Bob Sargent died June 17, 1994, at his home in Windsor, Vt. Bob prepared at the Peddie School. He joined the Army in July 1943, and during the Battle of the Bulge, he was awarded the Bronze Star "for courage and fortitude in the face of devastating enemy fire." He returned to Princeton in 1946 with his new wife, Graziella, a French nurse whom he had met during the occupation. The couple moved into the Old Polo Field veterans housing. Bob majored in economics, was a member of Cottage Club, and graduated in 1948.
Bob turned his senior thesis topic, "The Economics of Solid Waste Disposal," into a lifetime career. He worked for the family firm, the Sargent Co., until it merged with Zum Industries in 1968. He became v.p. of the Sargent Division, eventually becoming the New England sales manager and a special consultant. Later Bob took up farming in Vermont, while enjoying the sports there and flying his Bonanza.
Bob's wife, Grazie, died in 1984 of cancer, but he leaves his second wife and two children, Felicity Anne and Marc. Bob attended our 40th and various New England mini-reunions. We will miss him and send our deep sympathy to his family. The class has lost a firm friend and loyal member.
The Class of 1946

William Barrington Stockdale '46
Barry Stockdale died June 16, 1995, at the Jersey Shore Medical Center close to Ocean Grove, N.J. Barry attended Princeton from Nov. 1943 until Dec. 1944, during which period he was with V-12. He married Edith Read in 1946; she died in 1955. In 1960 Barry married Dorothy Naughright, who died in 1974.
For many years Barry worked as personnel manager of the Air Cruisers Co., but he changed careers and was ordained in the Episcopal Church in Apr. 1985. He then became deacon of St. Mary's by the Sea in Point Pleasant, N.J. Barry also served on various diocesan committees and was president of the shore-area Pop Warner Football League.
Barry leaves one son, Daniel Stockdale, a stepson, Kerry Duke, a daughter, Linda Warren, and six grandchildren. Barry spent little time at Princeton but remained in touch occasionally. To his three children and grandchildren, the class sends its sympathy and remembers them in their loss.
The Class of 1946
Thomas W. Ward '46
Tom Ward died Oct. 13, 1995, in Vero Beach, Fla., after a courageous bout with cancer. Tom entered Princeton in June 1942 after his graduation from Blair Academy. He roomed with Frank Perantoni and Don Good and was a member of Cannon Club. During the war, Tom served as an aerial gunner in the China/Burma/India theater. He returned to Princeton and earned his degree in 1950.
Tom's business career was primarily spent in sales and executive positions in the insurance industry. He was president of the Howard Insurance Group.
In 1989 Tom and Jan, his wife for 44 years, retired to Vero Beach, where they joined the Vero Beach Country Club and helped host the '46 mini-reunion in 1993. He was active in the local Princeton Club.
In addition to Jan, Tom leaves son Tim, daughter Holly, brother Jack, and three grandchildren. Tom's father, the late Lott Ward, was in the Class of '20. Tom's last years became his finest hour; he attended to his family and friends until the very end-his humor and wit made them forget how sick he really was. The class extends its deep sympathy to Jan and the rest of Tom's family. We have lost a loyal classmate and a very fine man.
The Class of 1946

John M. McClenahan '47
John died Nov. 26, 1995, in Bryn Mawr, Penn. His home was in nearby Haverford. He prepared for Princeton at the Haverford School and entered the university in the summer of 1943. His time at Princeton was interrupted for military service, most of which he spent in the European theater as an infantryman.
Classmates in the Army with him remember him as a good soldier who took the hardships of military life in stride and with a smile. Wounded twice in battle, John received the Purple Heart with an oakleaf cluster. He also received the Bronze Star. After the war he returned to Princeton, and in 1949 he took his degree. Two years later he married Barbara Brown in Chester, Penn.
John's career was in business, but in the 1960s he created a diversion from its demands by becoming a restaurateur. In private life John devoted time to volunteer work in Bryn Mawr on behalf of Meals on Wheels, the Ludington Library, and the Altar Guild of the Church of the Redeemer. He also found time for his hobbies: tennis, squash, sailing, and gardening.
We remember John as a cheerful, kind-hearted man, and we miss him. To Barbara and to their children, Ann B., Elizabeth M. Lafferty, John M. III, and David C., we offer our profound sympathy.
The Class of 1947

G. Cheston Carey Jr. '51
Cheddy died of a heart attack Oct. 25, 1995. As president and CEO of Carey Machinery & Supply Co., he was a leader of Baltimore's cultural and community affairs. In the words of a longtime friend, "He was a man who was concerned about his com-munity . . . giving came naturally to him. He was gentle, quiet, and an intellectual."
Cheddy prepped at Gilman. At Princeton he was a Phi Beta Kappa in engineering, a member of Ivy Club and of '51's national championship lacrosse team. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the Univ. of Manchester, where he studied economics. He served three years in the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance.
His family's business was Cheddy's career. Duke Nash, classmate and old friend, remembers him for "his fairness and competitive spirit, warmth and sincerity, and being an interesting and interested friend and companion." Cheddy was on the board of the Baltimore Symphony, chairman of the Council for Equal Business Opportunity, and a board member of Gilman and Bryn Mawr.
Cheddy epitomized Emerson's definition of success: "To laugh often and love much/and leave the world a better place." His family had these lines inscribed on his marker.
Cheddy leaves Clelia, his wife of 22 years, sons Chet '82 and Geoffrey, and three stepchildren. The class extends its condolences to them and honors an outstanding member.
The Class of 1951

Frank Luther Driver III '51
Frank died of malignant melanoma Dec. 15, 1995. He had been chairman and president of Driver Harris Co., a wire and cable manufacturer, but retired in 1994. The company, based in Harrison, N.J., was founded byhis grandfather and great-uncle in 1899.
Frank graduated cum laude from Montclair Academy. At Princeton he majored in mechanical engineering and was a member of Campus Club, Triangle Club, and the Yacht Club. He roomed with Marty Ill, Dick Williams, Charlie Burkelman, Andy Neely, Lou Emanuel, Bill Coale, Earle Helton, and Bill Davis.
Frank headed a major maker of specialty wire and cable products, and his avocations were volunteering and sailing. Tennyson's poem "Crossing the Bar" could well have been written about Frank, a latter-day skipper: "Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea . . . For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crost the bar."
Frank is survived by his wife, Corinne; his mother, Louise; his daughter, Jean; his sons, Frank L. IV, Timothy, and Andrew; and three grandchildren. We extend our sympathy to all of them on the passing of a selfless man committed to caring for his community.
The Class of 1951

Craig Stansbury '51
Craig died of a heart attack Dec. 24, 1995 while he and Alice were visiting their daughter Kristen in Manassas, Va.
He was a man of many parts. In his career he held managerial assignments in a variety of companies and institutes, most recently as a manager at the American Paper Institute in NYC. He was an avid reader (five books a week); an environmentalist in Ridgefield, Conn., his hometown; a gardener; a gourmet cook, and a deep-dyed fly fisherman.
Craig came from the John Burroughs School. At Princeton he proposed to major in economics, was a member of Tower Club, and on the staff of WPRU. He left in his junior year, joined the Navy, served in the Korean War, returned to Princeton and graduated in 1957 with a degree in economics.
In addition to his wife, Alice, and daughter Kristen, Craig is survived by son Craig, daughter Karen, his parents, and brother Bruce. The class honors a plucky member and gives his family its heartfelt sympathy.
The Class of 1951

Richard Redpath Ridenour '58
Rides died Sept. 4, 1995, of a cerebral aneurysm in Ft. Myers, Fla.
Rides prepped at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, Ill. At Princeton, he was a voice on WPRU, specializing in classical jazz. He majored in psychology, graduating cum laude, played golf as often as possible, usually with Gerry Goring '59, and was a member of Campus Club.
After graduation, he enlisted in the Army and was attached to a psychological research unit. He was stationed at Ft. Bliss, Tex., where he met and married Sara, his first wife and mother of his three children. Upon leaving the Army, he was commissioned a second lieutenant.
He and Sara went to Hawaii, where he was manager of several different branches of the Bank of Hawaii over a period of seven years. He was recruited by the Continental Illinois Bank. Four years later, he joined the Natl. Bank of Detroit (NBD), which was expanding into the northern Illinois area. With NBD he served successively as chairman of the board of the Bank of Elk Grove, the Woodfield Bank, and at the time of his death, was senior officer responsible for 12 banks under the NBD umbrella.
Rides will be profoundly missed by his many friends. To his children, Ron, Rick, Cyndi, and his wife, Eva, the class extends its heartfelt sympathy.
The Class of 1958

Neil Gildea '74
Neil died at his home in Singapore Jan. 4, 1996, the result of an accident, and was laid to rest in his native Pittsburgh.
An exceptional student at Princeton, Neil graduated summa cum laude and won the Isidore Brown thesis prize in sociology. To the many who counted him as a friend, Neil was generous, loyal, and often spectacularly funny. He was one of the last members of Cannon Club.
The Princeton-in-Asia program changed Neil's life. His two years in Singapore with PIA were the start of a lifelong fascination with the Far East. With his extraordinary fluency in Chinese and a Wharton MBA in international finance, Neil realized his dream of working in Asia. He held a number of executive positions with Goodyear Tire and Rubber, including managing director of company subsidiaries in Korea and Malaysia.
Though hugely successful in the corporate world, he never defined himself by his business accomplishments. He was a loving, attentive father, a wonderful writer, and caretaker for treasured friendships.
To his beloved parents Val and Con, brother Dan, children Leslie and Jake, and wife Diefen, his friends from Old Nassau extend their warmest sympathy.
The Class of 1974

Joel Grobtuch '78
Joel Grobtuch was killed in a car collision in Ulster County, N.Y., July 30, 1995. He and his wife, Janice Isaac, were struck while taking a weekend drive. Janice was six months pregnant with their eagerly anticipated first child. Joel never regained consciousness and died soon after. Janice sustained injuries, but is recovering. Their unborn daughter, Kyra Rebecca, died later that day. She was buried in Joel's arms.
Joel attended Midwood H.S. in Brooklyn. At Princeton he majored in politics, was a member of Terrace Club, and a Big Brother. He was involved in campus political movements. Joel graduated from NYU Law School in 1981. He clerked in San Francisco before returning to NYC. He worked at the NYC Dept. of Law for nine years. Joel and Janice married in 1989. In 1992, Joel began a solo litigation practice in NYC.
Gentle in nature and humble in demeanor, Joel was a warm, open, thoughtful man with an easygoing manner, excellent sense of humor, and great depth of personality. Even those who knew him briefly were struck by his kindness, generosity, and integrity. He was concerned about ethical issues in all aspects of life, and particularly in his practice of law.
Joel's death came at a time when his dreams were being realized both personally and professionally. He was a warm and loving husband, father-to-be, son and son-in-law, brother and brother-in-law, uncle, and friend. He is deeply, deeply missed.
The Class of 1978

Mark F. Thompson h'90
Mark F. Thompson, one of our three honorary classmates died Dec. 1, 1995, at Princeton Medical Center. He was 45. Mark was born in Bayonne, N.J. He was a graduate of Dickinson H.S. in Jersey City and attended Jersey City State College. He had worked at Firestone for nine years, first as a shelver, then as a security officer, and finally as a security supervisor. Besides the chatting Mark did with the thousands of students who passed by each day, he also enjoyed fishing, camping, and cooking.
We remember Mark today for the same qualities that led us to invite him to join our class. With an easygoing sense of humor and sharp wit, Mark did everything he could to make our visits to the library more enjoyable than they otherwise would have been. As we return to campus in the future, we will recall his friendship.
The Class of 1990


paw@princeton.edu