Barry Coon Phelps ’53

Life for Barry Coon Phelps was a roller coaster both personally and professionally. After he was married and divorced three times, his fourth marriage left him a widower in his 60s.

In business, Barry started his own company to finance other companies that sometimes succeeded.

Born in Detroit, Barry came to Princeton from Phillips Academy. He joined Tiger Inn, majored in English, and wrote his thesis on “William Faulkner and the American Negro.” He also worked for Opinion Research Corp. and Blakeley Laundry Co. and was campus representative for Pan American World Airways.

After two years with the Marines, Barry graduated from Harvard Law School and the University of Michigan Business School. After two years in Chicago in investment banking, Barry formed his own company specializing in venture-capital situations. In the 50th-reunion yearbook, Barry reported that he had been “very affluent and very broke — several times each,” and that he had no desire to retire.

Barry died Dec. 1, 2019. He is survived by six children.