Sandor Barcza ’60

Sandor came to us from Budapest, via Refugee Agencies, from the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, which roiled our freshman year. He managed to secure a solid education through high school but was denied university admission because of his family’s relatively prosperous situation and background. He entered our class as a sophomore, on scholarship and speaking only broken English. He majored in chemistry, joined Dial Lodge, and met his future wife, Eva, through a fellow Hungarian student.  

After graduation, Sandor earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Harvard and did post-doctoral work in Zurich. He returned to the United States to work at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Co. in New Jersey He spent his entire career there as a medicinal chemist.  

Sandor and Eva eventually settled in Mountain Lakes, N.J. They enjoyed classical music performances, hiking, swimming, and loved traveling in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.  

Eva died in 2020. Sandor died at home on April 20, 2026. He is survived by daughters Ilona ’89 and Mary; and two grandsons.