Peter Grier Freck ’56

Peter died Sept. 15, 2025.

The son of Stanley Grier Freck 1919, he came to Princeton from Hastings High School in New York, joined Colonial Club, majored in aeronautical engineering, and served as a stalwart in the University Marching Band — making it to the cover of Sports Illustrated in October 1955 as he led the band into Palmer Stadium. Pete earned an MSE at Princeton and an MBA from Harvard followed by a distinguished career, first as a designer at Douglas Aircraft, then as deputy director of the systems evaluation division at the Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA) and followed by director of Army programs for the MITRE Corp., which provided critical engineering support for the U.S. Army.

A man of deep faith, Peter served as a deacon at Burke (Va.) Presbyterian Church. Always adventurous, he checked off his last bucket list item with a trip to Africa with his sons for his 90th birthday.

Peter was predeceased by his wife of 54 years Joan Masin Freck in 2012. He is survived by sons Stanley ’82 and his wife Christine, Rob, and John and his wife Amy; and seven grandchildren.