Benjamin Coates ’39

Ben died Dec. 7, 2004, in Haverford, Pa.

All his life he carried warm memories of his home in Philadelphia, saying that people who grew up there in those days found it the most attractive place in the world to live. But he was to see much more of the world. In World War II he served as naval intelligence officer in Bombing Squadron BV 107 stationed in Natal, Brazil. The Brazilian navy awarded him the Order of the Southern Cross, the Brazilian Navy Medal of Merit, and the Brazilian Emeritus Medal.

In 1946, after graduating from University of Pennsylvania Law School, Ben bought and ran Coates Board and Carton Co. in Stroudsburg, Pa. He briefly owned W&J Sloane, but soon ventured into the oil-tanker business, launching his first, at 50,000 tons, in Nagasaki followed by two 300,000-ton tankers. In later years he owned land on which he enjoyed riding horseback. He raced horses in France, once winning the Prix de Marcel Boussac. In 1981 he established two Konoe Scholarships at Princeton in honor of his Princeton friend, Prince Fumitaka Konoe.

Ben is survived by Nancy, his wife of 61 years, his son Benjamin Jr. '73, daughter Theodate, and two grandchildren. We offer them our sincere sympathy.

The Class of 1939