In Memoriam: July-August 2026

John V. Fleming *63, a scholar of medieval literature who taught generations of students and served as a longtime head of what was then known as Wilson College, died May 30 at age 90. Fleming’s popular Chaucer courses for undergraduates and graduate students followed the tradition of his mentor, D.W. Robertson. Fleming also chaired the English department and was the chief marshal at Commencement. He received the Alumni Council Award for Service to Princeton for his contributions to alumni education in 2004 and delivered the Class of 2007’s Baccalaureate address. After retirement, he refashioned his Daily Princetonian column, “Gladly Lerne, Gladly Teche,” into a witty and wide-ranging blog that published more than 850 posts.

Image

Bede Liu

Courtesy of Princeton University

Bede Liu, an innovator in digital signal processing and longtime professor of electrical engineering, died May 7 at age 91. He joined the faculty in 1962 after a brief career in industry research labs and remained until 2015, when he transferred to emeritus status (though he continued to teach undergraduates for three more years). Liu’s wide-ranging research included signal processing, video coding, digital watermarking, and multimedia technology and led to 12 U.S. patents, according to a bio on the Dean of the Faculty’s website. He also supervised or co-supervised 53 Ph.D. recipients at Princeton.

Image

Jorge Sarmiento

Denise Applewhite / Princeton University

Jorge Sarmiento, a geoscientist who made lasting contributions to climate studies and oceanography, died May 5 at age 80. Sarmiento came to Princeton in 1978 as a research assistant in the Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS), which he later directed, joined the faculty in 1980, and retired in 2019. He explored the interconnections between biology, geology, and chemistry in the world’s oceans and also played a central role in Princeton’s collaboration with the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. “Jorge took great pride in mentorship,” colleague and Nobel laureate Syukuro “Suki” Manabe said in a University obituary, “and he trained many talented students who are now leaders in the field.”