Jim died April 16 at Sawtelle Hospice in Reading, Mass. He was 76.
Born in Newark, N.J., he attended Newark Academy and the Wilmington (Del.) Friends School. At Princeton, Jim began with the Class of 1954, but graduated with the Class of 1957. He majored in electrical engineering, joined Dial Club, and was secretary of the Council of Engineering. His graduate work was completed at the University of Michigan, where he obtained a master’s degree in engineering and a Ph.D.
During the Korean War, Jim served in the Navy. His work centered on systems engineering, and he became principal systems engineer at Mitre Corp. in Burlington, Mass., for many years prior to his retirement.
Jim loved sailing and mountain climbing. In the latter, his chief avocation, he climbed all the 4,000-foot peaks in Maine, New Hampshire, and beyond.
A man of great sensitivity and thoughtfulness, his stated ambition was to be a good man and a great teacher. Love is all, Jim said. In our 50th-reunion book he provided the following Jack Kerouac quote, “It’s all the same. All perfect. All empty.”
The class sends its sympathy to his life partner, Patti; his daughter, Sage; and grandchildren Kristen, Ian, and Allison. He was predeceased by his son, Hugh Scott Pennington.