Cecil Spanton Ashdown ’44

Span died March 23, 2015, in Manhattan after a long battle with heart disease.

Born in New York City, he prepared at Ridley College in Ontario. At Princeton, Span was business manager of The Nassau Sovereign and ate at Dial Lodge.

After graduating with an engineering degree in 1944, he entered the Naval Academy to become an ensign. Span served three years on the USS Wrangell and stayed in the Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant commander. After earning an MBA at Harvard in 1948, he worked for the Alcoa Steamship Co. for more than 30 years, retiring in 1980 but remaining a consultant.

Span was a member of the World Ship Society, the Naval Reserve Association, the Navy League, the Bermuda Maritime Museum, and the Steamship Historical Society. He served on the board of the Grenfell Association, of which his father was a founding financial director. His love of music led to membership in the Metropolitan Opera Club. Summers often were spent with his wife, Marie, at their second residence in Connecticut. Span attended all but two major reunions, missing only the 30th and 35th.

He is survived by Marie; their sons, Cecil III and Charles; two stepchildren; and two grandchildren.