Morris C. Kellett ’57

Morris, the son of Roderick Kellett 1915 and Dorothy Clothier Kellett, came to Princeton from Deerfield Academy. He majored in history, served in Naval ROTC, was president of the Right Wing Club, and vice president of the 21 Club. He took his meals at Cottage Club, where he played several intramural sports and served as secretary of the club his senior year. That year he roomed with George Fowlkes and Mike Erdman and had a temporary expulsion due to parking his (illegal) car in Dean of the Chapel Gordon’s garage.

Following graduation Morris served in the Marine Corps in Paris, Hong Kong, British North Borneo, Taiwan, and Okinawa, and attained the rank of captain. Ever mischievous and fun-loving, he and classmate and fellow Marine John Thomas commandeered an antique, but serviceable, troop carrier and sank it off the coast of Taiwan in 1959. Leaving the Marines in 1960, he earned a law degree at Penn and joined Dechert, Price & Rhoads in Philadelphia. He specialized in real estate and corporate law, became a partner, and retired in 2000.

Morris was introduced to Anne O. Bacon on a cruise with Mike Erdman and later married her. They had two children, Whitney and Roderick. They established a home in Villanova, Pa., and summered at their home in Seal Harbor, Maine. He served on the Princeton Schools Committee, the Lower Merion (Pa.) planning and zoning boards, and as president of the Seal Harbor Club.

Anne, his wife of 64 years, died Feb. 10, 2026, and Morris died Feb. 20, 2026. He is survived by his two children and their families.