Memorials - March 22, 2000


Carl Frederick Reidemeister '29

Carl Reidemeister died on July 8, 1999. He was 94. Although he left before graduation, he was very proud of the fact that he had attended Princeton and always had many stories to tell of his time there.

After leaving Princeton, he married Katherine S. Babb and they had three children. During WWII, he was employed at Wright Aeronautical, but his lifelong career was with the Ford Motor Co., until he retired at the age of 69. He then moved to upstate New York, in the heart of the Adirondacks, to a nonworking farm, and enjoyed about 15 years of mountain living before the death of his wife. He then moved south to be with his oldest daughter, Gail Anderson, at Nags Head, N.C., where he lived until his death. He loved the ocean and was swimming in it until age 93.

The class extends its deepest sympathy to his survivors, especially Mrs. Gail Anderson.

The Class of 1929


L. Preston Hollander Jr. '44

Pres Hollander died of heart failure on Dec. 20, 1998, at Monterey Community Hospital near Carmel, Calif., where he had lived since 1990.

He came to Princeton from Taft, leaving to enlist in the Army, which sent him to Mississippi U., where he received an engineering degree. He then served as an intelligence reconnaissance officer in Europe, where he was highly decorated, including the Silver Star, the British Military Cross, the Belgian Croix de Guerre, and two Purple Hearts.

He started in the merchandising business, like his father, but then formed an engineering company in Flushing, N.Y., making machine tools and parts for submarines and airplanes. In 1969, he moved to California, and was active in real estate and community affairs.

He is survived by his wife, Natalie, whom he married in 1947. His classmates tender their deepest regrets at his passing.

The Class of 1944


Walter Schaff Jr. '44

Wally Schaff died on Jan. 11, 2000, six years after he had written in our 50-year book, "By-pass heart operations are all the rage, so I joined the club in 1990, but now I know I shall live close to forever since I take an aspirin once a day." In fact, cancer is what did him in, but not before he had a final martini and pipe smoke at the hospice care unit near his home in Youngstown, Ohio.

He came to Princeton from Exeter, following his father '09, uncle Philip '06, and cousins Philip H. '42 and Charles B. '45. He was a member of the Yacht Club and Cap and Gown. He roomed with Alford, Barr, Freeman, Fentress, LeBlond, and Lovelace in Campbell, and later with Watson Dabney '45.

Wally enlisted in the Army in Aug. 1942, serving with the third armored in Europe until discharged, in 1945, with five campaign ribbons and a Presidential Unit Citation. He worked in sales in Youngstown for Madison Bionics Chemical. He was pres. of the Princeton Alumni of greater Youngstown during the 1960s, and a longtime usher at the First Presbyterian Church.

Wally was predeceased by his wife, Harriet Wick, and his two sisters. The class extends its sympathy to his three daughters, Louise, Emily, and Anne, and to his two grandchildren.

The Class of 1944


Ralph W. Starrett Jr. '44

Ralph Starrett died from an aneurysm on Nov. 12, 1999. After New Trier H.S., he came to Princeton and majored in physics. He was the manager of the tennis team and a member of Charter Club. He roomed with John Walker and Keehn Landis. During WWII, he was a project engineer at Curtiss Wright, working with experimental aircraft, including the B-29, the B-32, and the DC-6.

As a sales engineer for a division of Gulton Industries, he traveled throughout the world, coming especially to love Italy. From the midwest, he moved to Dallas, and his wife, Fran, who sometimes traveled with him, says he became a "true Texan." Ralph retired at age 70; his hobby and keen interest was in computers.

To his wife of 45 years, his three children, his four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, the class extends its deep sympathy.

The Class of 1944


George Storer Baldwin Jr. '49

George succumbed to T-cell Leukemia on June 28, 1999, at his home in Burlington, Vt. He was 71. He had hoped that his health would allow him to come to our 50th reunion and had signed up to attend.

He came to Princeton from Andover and belonged to Cap and Gown Club. His department was chemical engineering.

After a brief stint in Maryland following graduation, he moved to Montreal where, in 1967, he started his own company, Metalfini, Inc., introducing shot peening by glass beads. His sons continue the business. He enjoyed travel with his wife, and was on a trip with her when he was stricken by the Leukemia. In spite of the illness, he kept smiling and stayed cheerful until the end.

He is survived by his wife, Vera, his four sons, Christian, Andrew, Patrick, and George, and one grandchild. To them all the class extends its deepest sympathy.

The Class of 1949


John Edwin Manger '49

Jack died on July 29, 1999, of a massive heart attack while visiting friends in Perham, Minn. He came to Princeton from Western H.S., in Washington, DC. At Princeton, he majored in S.P.I.A. He was pres. of the football band and involved in many musical organizations. He was a member of Terrace Club.

After graduation, he went to Cornell for his master's in economics. He began work for Allegheny Airlines in 1952 as a sales representative, and spent his entire working career in the aviation industry. He retired in 1985 from Republic Airlines as v.p. of long range planning. When Northwest acquired Republic in 1986, Jack and his wife, Claire, were able to enjoy travel on Northwest as non-revenue passengers.

Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Claire, their daughter, Catherine, and three grandchildren. The class extends it sympathy to them all.

The Class of 1949


Alan Scott Watson '49

Alan died as the result of an automobile accident on July 5, 1999, in Houston. He was 72.

He came to Princeton from the Hill School and majored in psychology. He belonged to Cottage Club and played varsity tennis.

He spent three years in the Army after graduation, and then entered the casualty insurance underwriting business and worked as an insurance analyst for Shell Oil Co. Shell transferred him to Houston in 1971 and he remained there until he retired in 1990 as Shell's senior insurance representative. He was an avid bowler and outdoorsman, and he enjoyed music greatly. His children and grandchildren all are musically inclined.

He is survived by his wife, Lucille, two daughters, Amy and Wendy, a son, Scott, and seven grandchildren. The class extends it deepest sympathy to them all.

The Class of 1949


Louis Vincent Avioli '53

Lou Avioli, world-renowned in endocrinology and bone metabolism, and professor of medicine and orthopedics at Washington U. medical school, died at his home in Clayton, Mo., on Nov. 21, 1999, after a long bout with cancer.

Born in Coatesville, Pa., Lou was brought up in Jersey City and educated at Henry Snyder H.S. At Princeton, he belonged to Tower Club, played 150 lb. football, and graduated magna cum laude. Among his roommates were Jim Andretta, Jim Effron, Toby Maxwell, and Phil Swirbul.

He married Joan Truax in 1955, and received his MD from Yale in 1957. Joan said that Lou had fought off his disease so well for 12 years that family and friends began to think him invincible.

The Nov. 24, 1999, St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that twice Lou was chosen one of the best 120 doctors in the nation by the clinical chiefs of 87 medical schools. Jim Effron said that Lou was the most dedicated individual to his profession that he ever knew, and Lou believed the practice of medicine should not be for profit but for mankind's greater good. Deepest sympathy to Joan, sons Richard '78, Michael, and Gregory, daughters Edie Avioli-Sears and Judy Adelman, and 14 grandchildren.

The Class of 1953


R. Stockton Rush '53

Tock Rush, whose forbears included two signers of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Rush and Richard Stockton, and whose father was Richard S. '27, died Jan. 1, 2000, after a short illness in San Francisco.

Tock prepared at South Kent, and, at Princeton, played freshman football and varsity hockey. He was on the rugby team all four years, being v.p. his senior year. He took his meals at Tiger Inn and performed for the Triangle Club.

From 1953-55 he was in the US Marines Corps and was a member of the elite volunteer reconnaissance unit that went ashore before an assault landing. His career included oil and gas and the construction in New Zealand of Takaro, voted one of the world's best hunting and fishing preserves. He established the Recovery Institute and had a prominent role in the education of alcohol abuse. He received theatrical acclaim for his portrayal of the frustrated executive officer in the prize-winning play, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, and he was pres.-elect of the famed Bohemian Club. John Spencer, who kindly contributed to this memorial, and James A. Baker '52 delivered moving tributes at Tock's funeral. Warmest feelings to his wife, Nancy, and his children, Deborah, Catherine, and Stockton III '84.

The Class of 1953


William Barrow Floyd '56

Bill Floyd, a native son and lifelong resident of Lexington, Ky., died there on Dec. 18, 1999.

Bill entered Princeton from Culver Military Academy, and majored in art and archaeology. He sang in the freshman Glee Club and the Chapel Choir, served on the Schools and Scholarship Committee of the Orange Key, and was a member of Campus Club. Following graduation, Bill received a master's in art history from the U. of Kentucky, carried out further studies at George Washington U. and the Smithsonian Institution, and served in the US Army.

An art dealer and consultant, Bill published articles in Antiques Magazine, was the recognized authority on early Kentucky portraiture, and served as curator for the Commonwealth of Kentucky for 13 years. In this capacity, he planned and supervised the restoration of Kentucky's Old State Capitol, My Old Kentucky Home at Bardstown, and the Vest Lindsey House in Frankfort. Recently, he was curator of Ashland, the estate of Henry Clay. Bill was the owner of the Floyd Gallery, for the sale of early paintings and prints, and also taught at several private schools. He held membership in Lexington's Christ Church Cathedral, the Princeton Club of New York, and the Idle Hour Country Club.

Bill is survived by his mother, Barrie, a brother, Morris B. '58, two aunts, and numerous cousins. The class extends its sympathy to those who mourn his death.

The Class of 1956


Lewis A. Fretz '60

Lew Fretz died from cancer on Apr. 26, 1999. At the time of his death, Lew was a professor and senior lecturer in American politics and international relations at the U. of Waikato, in Hamilton, New Zealand. At a retirement ceremony just days before his death, Lew entered the room, shook hands and embraced his distraught friends, colleagues, and students, telling them, "Don't look glum, I'm a happy man!" The university presented Lew with a staff citation that recognized his excellence in teaching and his promotion of the highest standards of academic endeavor.

Lew came to Princeton after attending high school in Harrisburg, Pa. He majored in history and earned a Danforth Fellowship upon graduation. After receiving a PhD from Stanford, Lew taught at California and New Hampshire colleges. Lew was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and later became a vocal critic of American involvement in Vietnam. His strong anti-war feelings led Lew to leave the US in 1971, vowing never to return. Lew, however, remained fascinated by American politics and culture, and his teaching reflected this interest. Because of this, TV and radio reporters often asked Lew to comment on current events in the US.

Over the years, Lew gained a reputation as an enormously popular teacher. Throngs of students, many of whom were not enrolled in his courses, regularly lined the walls to hear his lectures. One former student described Lew as a great teacher, because he changed the lives of his students. Lew's strong sense of social justice propelled him to become involved in many causes, generally on the side of the underdog. Lew was described as a "rebel with a passion" who will be missed by his wife, Margaret, his daughter, Tanya, his sister, Tory, as well as students, colleagues, and friends. The U. of Waikato has established a scholarship in Lew's memory.

The Class of 1960


Melinda Beth Starn '94

Mindy died on May 3, 1999. Born in Redwood City, Calif., she was from Honolulu, Hawaii, and graduated from the Punahou School. Although Mindy left Princeton during her first semester in 1990, many will remember her from Outdoor Action, Forbes College, and her sorority. Mindy went on to graduate from Colorado College, and she received her MSN from Vanderbilt, specializing as a family nurse practitioner.

Hawaii was home for Mindy, and she worked as a nurse practitioner in the Caravan Project, a program that serves homeless people around the island. She loved to hike in the mountains, swim in the ocean, write poetry, and engage in intellectual discussion.

Appropriately, there was a beautiful service next to the beach, with the sounds of the warm ocean nearby. Her friends and family came from all over to celebrate Mindy's life with laughter and tears as her poetry and prose were read by those close to her.

Mindy is survived by her mother, Jane, her father, Peter, stepmother, Jane'e, brothers, Sean, Andrew, and Wyatt, and her sister, Paris. The class extends its deepest sympathy to the entire family.

The Class of 1994


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