Ralph Neal Baltzer '25
Ralph Baltzer was born in Hickman, Ky., in 1903. He died in 1985. Ralph prepared at Clarksdale [Miss.] H.S. and transfered to Princeton in 1923. He was a member of Tower Club.
After graduation he entered the banking business, becoming president of the Coahoma Bank and Trust Co. in Clarksdale. He was prominent in local community affairs, being president of the board of the Clarksburg Hospital. He was active in the Coahoma chapter of the American Red Cross, the board of the Methodist church, and was a member of the Arkansas-Mississippi Bridge Commission. He was married to Alice Sherar Rawls, who predeceased him. He was the father of two daughters.
The Class of 1925

Gerard Hallock '26
Buzz Hallock died May 28, 1996, in Essex Meadows, Conn. He was brought up in the Berkshires and attended the Hallock School, founded by his father, in Great Barrington, Mass.
When WWII came, Buzz entered the Air Corps as first lieutenant. As intelligence officer with the 315 Troop Carrier Group, Buzz saw service in seven European theater campaigns, for which his outfit received a Presidential unit citation. He held the rank of major when he left the service in 1945.
Buzz's 1937 marriage to Marion Wharton ended in divorce in 1974. He married Virginia "Ginnie" Levick, who died in 1979. Buzz is survived by his son, Gerard P. '69, two daughters, Lisa Kaye and Helen Pless, two brothers, Harlan and Richard, a sister, Martha, and 10 grandchildren, to all of whom we extend our profound sympathy.
Buzz was class treasurer (1931-41), president (1941-46), and on the nominating committee (1946-96). He organized our Care Committee, whose members kept in touch with ailing classmates. He was an organizer of the 1926 Foundation. Remembering Buzz, we repeat words from the Class of '26 Class Council Award given to him at our 60th reunion: "The Class of '26 is proud of Buzz Hallock, a man of integrity, talent, and understanding. It thanks him for the work he has done for it and the university." We shall miss Buzz Hallock.
The Class of 1926

William Potter Elliott '28
Bill Elliott died Aug. 8, 1996, in Madison, Conn. He was part of the contingent from the Hill School. At Princeton he was a member of Cap and Gown Club, and he played baseball and basketball. He went to the Newark [N.J.] Law School, which later became part of Rutgers U., and received his law degree in 1931.
Bill established a law office in Plainfield, N.J., and was a partner in the firm of Bunker and Elliott. He was president of the Union County Bar Assn. and a municipal court judge in Scotch Plains-Fanwood.
Bill enlisted in the Army during WWII and was stationed in the South Pacific and Leyte in the Philippines. He held regional offices in both the Sons of the Revolution and the Society of Colonial Wars. He was a 32nd degree Mason, a member of the Rotary and of the Central Presbyterian Church of Plainfield.
Bill was active in the Class of '28 executive committee and was president of the class from 195863. Several times he served as class representative at the university memorial services in the Chapel.
Bill and Marjorie Blackman were married in 1937. Marje was on hand at reunions and other class gatherings until she died in 1992. There have been few who have served the class more widely and effectively through the years than Bill Elliott.
The Class of 1928

Edmund Key III '42
Ed died Aug. 25, 1996, in Marshall, Tex., his lifelong home. His entire business career was devoted to oil and gas investing, from which he was retired at the time of his death.
Ed came to Princeton via Lawrenceville and left to marry Winifred Lee in 1941. She predeceased him. He spent three and a half years in the Army Air Corps, during the war, mostly in the Pacific theater, as a captain, receiving three battle stars.
He returned to Marshall after the war, becoming president of White Canyon Mining Co. and secretary/treasurer of Navajo Uranium Co. He was also chairman of First Natl. Bank of Marshall.
To his children, Edmund IV, Knox, and Nancy, the class extends its warmest sympathies.
The Class of 1942

James Todd Stewart II '42
Jim died Sept. 9, 1996, in Philadelphia, Pa. Jim prepared for Princeton at Haverford. He was a history major and a member of Cottage Club. Following graduation he spent 46 months in the Army, in the Pacific theater, rising to captain and receiving a Purple Heart.
After the war he joined Curtis Publishing Co. and served as assistant manager circulation promotion, v.p. of Keystone Readers Service, and v.p. of Perfect School Plan (both subsidiaries). A dedicated Princetonian, Jim served on the alumni schools committee and chaired our 15th reunion. After a 39-year career in publishing, with Curtis, he retired in 1987. Since purchasing his historic cottage in Barnegat Light, N.J., in 1965, Jim spent most of his spare time there, restoring the cottage and cultivating beautiful flowers in the backyard. It has been open for numerous house and garden tours and has been designated a Long Beach Island Landmark.
He never married. To his sisters, Mary and Barbara, the class extends its sincere sympathies.
The Class of 1942

Richard Custer '44
Dick Custer died of heart failure Sept. 29, 1996, at his home in Philadelphia, Pa. He came to us from Lower Merion H.S., and for three years roomed with Bob Miller, and during his senior year with Bill Zinsser. At Princeton he majored in history, earned numerals on the freshman tennis team, played intramural basketball, and belonged to the Glee Club. His club was Quadrangle.
Dick left Princeton in 1943 with his AB and spent 32 months in the Army, about half of it in the ETO as a cryptanalyst and German translator. After the war he attended the U. of Pennsylvania Law School and then spent four years as an operations officer with the CIA in Germany and Washington. In 1953, he joined the Philadelphia Natl. Bank, where, after 10 years, he headed its corporate trust department. Coronary artery problems prompted his retirement in 1982, but he kept busy as a consultant with the Executive Service Corps and as an arbitrator with the N.Y. Stock Exchange.
To Nancy, his wife of 35 years; his sons, Richard D. C. and Christopher C. L. '78; his daughter, Nancy E. K., and two grandsons, the class extends its sympathy.
The Class of 1944