Cecil F. Backus Jr. ’51

 Cecil came to us from St. Paul’s School. At Princeton, he majored in chemical engineering and was a member of the Yacht Club, the hunting and fishing club, and Colonial Club. He roomed with Rayne McC. Herzog, C.M. Jones, and Alan Wright.

After graduation, Cecil served in the Navy for three years on destroyers during the Korean War, achieving the rank of lieutenant (j.g.). He went on to pursue a career in banking, finance, and private equity. He had a lifelong love of sailing and bought a 72-foot fishing trawler, The Golden Promise. Cecil sailed from Scotland to the Azores, then lived on his boat for seven years at Lewis Wharf in Boston Harbor. He met his wife, Candace Carlucci, in York Harbor, Maine, where they lived for a number of years. They moved back to his home state of Maryland and started Silent Sous, a custom cake bakery. He enjoyed the Eastern Shore and even after he stopped sailing, he continued to look skyward.

Cecil died Dec. 19, 2023, at his home in Cooke’s Hope, Easton, Md. He was predeceased by his wife, Candy.