John Bender died Aug. 13, 2012, in Fairfax, Va.
John was a native of Princeton. His father, Harold Bender, was professor of Indo-Germanic philology at the University. John prepared at Phillips Exeter Academy. At Princeton he majored in history and was a member of the Yacht Club and Cloister Inn.
In 1941 he volunteered for active duty as an officer in the Coast Guard. He was assigned to anti-submarine duty off the American coast. In this capacity, he was part of the team that sank a German U-boat, an action for which he received a Bronze Star. Later his ship participated in the Okinawa campaign and downed two kamikaze aircraft. John retired as a captain in the Coast Guard Reserve.
After the war, John returned to Princeton and received his bachelor’s degree with honors. He also earned a master’s degree in history in 1949. In the early 1950s he joined the Army as a political analyst. He later served as an analyst for the State Department and held posts in Manila and Tel Aviv.
His wife, Fredrika Pratt Bender, died in 1999. John is survived by his daughter, Margaret Butler; sons John ’67 and James; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchil dren. To them all, the class sends condolences.