Carl died Feb. 5, 2012, in Washington, D.C., one month after his 95th birthday. He was born in Morristown, N.J., and prepared at Townsend Harris High School.
Carl transferred to Princeton at the beginning of his sophomore year and majored in English. He was a University Scholarship holder and a member of the honor roll. According to a 2005 PAW interview, his career aspirations were sparked by a classmate in a Princeton English course. In class, “Students were asked what they were going to do after graduation. I didn’t say anything,” he recalled. “But a bright fellow said he was going into journalism. It got a tremendous laugh. Back then, journalism was clearly considered a second-tier career.”
Carl went on to become the longest-tenured reporter at the Associated Press, leading AP bureaus in several European cities in the 1950s and ’60s and covering the World Bank and International Monetary Fund later in his career. He continued writing book reviews even after he officially retired in 2006.
Carl was predeceased by his wife, Martha Hartman. He is survived by one daughter, Jessica Constantino, and at least one grandchild.
See the 1936 Class Notes for more about Carl’s remarkable career.