John died Dec. 10, 2012, in Princeton. He was 86.
John’s career as a senior executive in international commercial and merchant banking took him from New York and New Jersey to a decade in London and then to Hong Kong. Upon his retirement in 1993, the Pells moved back to the Princeton area, where John founded his own merchant-banking organization and later worked with state government to develop a public/private partnership, the New Jersey Banking Board for Foreign Trade.
Born in Orange, N.J., he came to Princeton from Newark Academy. He was in the Navy V-12 program, starred in varsity football and lacrosse, and graduated cum laude in 1947 as an economics major. He earned an MBA in finance at Penn’s Wharton School.
John was active in class affairs, serving as treasurer, vice president, and one of the managers for our 50th and other reunions. He also volunteered in Annual Giving campaigns. An avid golfer, he also played a lot of tennis, particularly with his children. During the London years the family traveled extensively in the British Isles and Europe.
John is survived by Janice Phillips Pell, his wife of 59 years; his sister, Nancy Pell Campbell; son Richard; daughters Sandra Pell deGroot and Leslie Pell Linnehan; and six grandchildren.