Breck died Jan. 7, 2012, at home in Medford, N.J.
Coming from Episcopal High School, where he played football and basketball, Breck majored in English at Princeton, rowed crew, played class baseball, served on the Nassau Sovereign board, and was in Cannon Club. He served in the Air Corps for three years, principally in Panama, Ecuador, and Peru. He married Marie Hicks in 1944 while in the service.
Initially he was a freelance writer until he joined The New York Times, where he worked for 45 years and was deputy editor of the Index.
Described as “a man of great dignity, conviction, compassion, and humor,” he was predeceased by his wife, Marie. He is survived by his daughters, Deborah and Melissa; grandchildren Samuel and Dakota; and his sister, Nancy, and her family.