Andrus Skidmore Thorpe ’51

Skid was born March 30, 1929, in Minneapolis, the son of Andrus and Gladys Hall Thorpe. He attended the Blake School in Hopkins, Minn. At Princeton he majored in architecture, was active in Tower Club and the rifle squad, and roomed with Jack Noble, George Selover, and Ted Thomas. His 1951 marriage to Patricia Dorn ended in divorce.

Skid began his career in the 3M architectural department, but after two years he moved to the family real-estate business, Thorpe Bros. Inc. In 1968 he entered the securities business, joining Dain, Kalman & Quail in Minneapolis. Three years later he headed Thorpe Investment Co. and in particular its subsidiary, the H.A. Rogers Co., a local architectural-supply house.

In 1975, Skid married Edith Davenport and began what he described as the best years of his life. In 1988 he contracted inclusion body myositis, a degenerative muscle disease. In spite of that and other health challenges, he truly viewed the glass as half full rather than half empty. Skid died Feb. 15, 2012, and is survived by his wife; children Linda Comstock, Michael, Timothy, Laura Bergerson, Lucy McKee, and Daniel; 10 grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter. Carpe diem!