Alfred Burton ’74

Al, a native of St. Louis, came to Princeton by way of the Deveaux School in Niagara Falls, N.Y., where he graduated as salutatorian.

There was no more valuable member of the Princeton varsity basketball team from 1970 to 1974 than Al. While he didn’t become  a full-time starter until his senior year, all who played against Al would testify that he was the finest, most tenacious defender, not only on the team, but in the league.

Al majored in political science and was active in the Association of Black Collegians. He was a passionate music collector and especially loved jazz.

After law school at St. Louis University School of Law, Al moved to Springfield, Ill., where he was an assistant state’s attorney, a member of the Human Rights Commission of Illinois, and also worked at the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush appointed Al an administrative law judge for the Social Security Administration. At his appointment, he was the youngest ALJ in the region.

He is survived by his wife, Cassandra, three sons, three daughters, and a grandson.