Bradlee V.B. Postell ’50

Brad died of Alzheimer’s disease July 26, 2011, in Vero Beach, Fla. He defined himself as a person of uncomplicated faith and with a glass-is-half-full attitude.

A Deerfield graduate, Brad earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton with honors. He was editor of Princeton Engineering, a member of the Engineering Council, and belonged to Key and Seal.

He earned a master’s degree from Harvard Business School, and then served as a second lieutenant in the Air Force Research and Development Command at Wright Field. In 1954, he not only took a job in Philadelphia, but also a wife, Carol Underhill. Acquisition of the Philadelphia company in 1956 prompted him to join a small chemical/mining/oil and gas company in Houston. In 1964, when Occidental Petroleum acquired this company, Brad decided to stay on. Until his retirement 22 years later, Brad’s Occidental career dealt with a variety of planning responsibilities and stops in Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Lexington.

He enjoyed a happy retirement in northeast Florida, where he was an active in the First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach and Sons of the Colonial Wars, and a volunteer for Hospice and the Jacksonville Mayo Clinic.

We extend our sympathy to Carol, and his sons, James, John, and Andrew.