Bruce Coe, an investment banker and public servant, died March 24, 2009, at home in Lambertville, N.J., after a yearlong struggle with a brain tumor.
Bruce withdrew midway through junior year for military service. Graduating in 1956, he chose ’52 as his alumni class. He became vice president.
“Princeton in the nation’s service” describes Bruce’s life plan. While with Kidder, Peabody, he wrote in 1962: “Concerned about . . . the ‘low state’ and quality of public servants.” Bruce wrote that he planned to “achieve . . . complete independence . . . to devote myself to the political scene and government service.” He made that move in 1975.
In 1992, Bruce wrote: “I’m told I’ve been appointed by a governor and confirmed by the [New Jersey] Senate more times for more positions than anyone else in New Jersey’s history . . .” He next committed himself to nonprofit organizations, including Isles in Trenton, which created a lasting legacy in his name. “There’s a direct correlation between the quality of government and the degree of public participation in the process,” he concluded.
Bruce is survived by his wife, Barbara; four children and a stepdaughter and their spouses; and 13 grandchildren.