Charlie died peacefully, surrounded by family, July 20, 2021, of Lewy body dementia.

Charlie came to Princeton from Lawrenceville. He joined Terrace Club, rowed on the 150-pound crew, and served in the NROTC. Senior year he roomed with Jacques Read, Don Wiesner, and Chuck Woody. He was class president from 1967 to 1972. 

A sociology major, Charlie nevertheless “could sit and look at the stock-market ticker all day long,” his widow, Rachel, commented. Indeed, Charlie came into the brokerage business through a firm his father, Leonard H. Bernheim 1923, started, Stern Lauer. After 20 years, Charlie merged the firm with Bear Sterns, bringing with him a staff of 70 including his brother, Lawrence’59. When J.P. Morgan took over Bear Sterns, Charlie went along. He retired in 2007. 

Charlie lived in Manhattan, where he was born, and Salisbury, N.C., with Rachael, his fourth wife, who brought to the marriage in 1995 two lively teenage daughters whom Charlie loved. Henry and Louise Bessire attended each wedding. Another classmate recalls Charlie as a man with “unlimited enthusiasm who loved taking the lead in any conversation.” He was an avid golfer, a gourmet, and a collector of fine art and music. He supported several charities and was a member of several boards, including the 1957 Classmate Fund and the Salisbury Symphony.

Undergraduate Class of 1957