Rivers Way Honors Pioneering Alumnus

Robert J. Rivers Jr. ’53 receiving an honorary degree in 2016.

Denise Applewhite/Office of Communications

The roadway that enters the campus from Nassau Street near Firestone Library has been named RIVERS WAY to honor Robert J. Rivers Jr. ’53, one of the first black undergraduates admitted to the University. The designation was recommended by a committee charged with recognizing individuals who bring a more diverse presence to the campus. Rivers was the first African American person to serve as a Princeton trustee. He is a retired professor of clinical surgery and associate dean for minority affairs at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.