Allan Alva Dowds III ’53

Al was active in Triangle, Orange Key, the Republican Club, and the Tiger. Senior year he lived in Blair Tower with Oz Applegate, Mike Donohue, Jerve Finney, Lew Rawlings, Bones Spencer, and Sid Staunton.

Sid, Cottage Club president, Al’s clubmate and a Lawrenceville schoolmate, put it best: “Al was a great friend and true original. His spirit was always high. He had a fine sense of humor and remained intensely loyal to his friends. He demonstrated a rare courage to live life to the fullest notwithstanding his substantial challenges. I will miss him.” So do we.  

Son John said his father was proud of his Princeton affiliation, which “helped define his life to a large degree.” Besides John, whose wife is Jana Clanton ’84, Al is survived by his sons, Allan IV and Timothy, and six grandchildren. To them all, we extend heartfelt sympathy.