Steven E. Rhoads ’61

Steve died Jan. 2, 2026, in Hartford, Conn. He moved to Hartford in his final months to be nearer to his son Chris after living in Charlottesville, Va., for decades.  

Born and raised in Abington Township, Pa., he came to us from Abington Senior High School. At Princeton, he majored in history, played freshman and JV squash, was in NROTC, and was treasurer of Cottage Club. He roomed with Don Tucker. 

After naval service he earned an MPA in public administration and a Ph.D. in government at Cornell, then embarking on a long professorial career in the politics department at the University of Virginia, retiring in 2014 as emeritus professor.  

Along the way he authored multiple books. The two most prominent were Taking Sex Differences Seriously and The Economist’s View of the World. He helped found the Network of Enlightened Women (NeW). In our 50th-reunion yearbook he observed, “Princeton’s requiring me to write a thesis altered the course of my life.”   

Steve’s first wife, Diane, died of cancer in 2008. He is survived by his second wife, Peggy; sons Christopher, Nicholas, and John; and their families, including five grandchildren.