Each year at Alumni Day, Princeton notes the passing of students, alumni, faculty, and staff who died during the year gone by. The Service of Remembrance is a moving and poignant celebration of lives we knew.
In that spirit, the following pages are a remembrance of alumni lost in 2012. These nine men and one woman are but a small representation of those who lived lives worth celebrating. Among others who died last year are some Princeton giants: Dan Gardiner ’56, the driving force behind the ReachOut 56-81-06 project, which supports new graduates in public service; and Paul Wythes ’55, the University trustee who shepherded what’s known as the Wythes report, which led to a larger student body.
Fashionistas long will recall Norman Hilton ’41, credited with defining Ivy League style, who was one of Ralph Lauren’s first investors. Science lost Roy J. Britten *51, a gene pioneer. His graduate-school classmate, George Rathmann *51, is considered a father of the biotechnology industry; he built Amgen into the world’s largest biotech company by focusing on some of the most successful drugs in history. There are many others, whose lives provide lessons worth remembering.
Click the Lives 2012 tag below to read profiles of 10 alumni whom Princeton lost in 2012.
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3 Responses
Art Brown ’46
8 Years AgoCelebrating lost alumni
I, too, appreciate the new feature on alumni who have passed away and are most deserving of our celebration of their lives. It so happens that of those included in the Feb. 6 issue, I had the pleasure of working for Nick Katzenbach ’43, a giant of a leader, and of developing over several years a friendship through correspondence with Peter Gott ’57. Peter, in my mind, was not only the most popular, but the most capable, guru of the medical profession. If you had a malady, he had a cure and invariably a simple answer. My wife and I have lived in a life-care facility for years, and I and our residents often shared our problems with him and would become subjects in his columns. Needless to say, we all appreciated his helpful hints.
One personal note I long will treasure was his response to me in 2007 as to what he would suggest to get our football team going. It was to serve them with his pregame tonic: his colon cocktail, with equal portions of unprocessed bran, applesauce, and prune juice. He suggested taking one to two tablespoons a day (or more if needed) for relief. I don’t play ball anymore, but it still works. Yes, we indeed will miss him.
William C. McCoy ’45
8 Years AgoWould they be admitted now?
In reading over the biographies/ remembrances of the Princetonians who left us in 2012 (“Lives lived and lost,” Feb. 6), one cannot help but wonder whether or not they would be admitted to the freshman class today. Were they all super-achievers at age 18?
I appreciate that some were graduate students. Same question.
Greg Ward ’00
8 Years AgoLives lived and lost
Love the new concept for the Feb. 6 issue (“Lives lived and lost: An appreciation”). I read many of the profiles last night and enjoyed them greatly. It’s always an inspiration to read the contributions of fellow alumni. I look forward to future editions of this feature.