Charles E. Denney ’44

Chuck Denney died Feb. 1, 2005, in Delray Beach, Fla.

He went further than any member of '44 in film acting: He was Meryl Streep's dinner partner in Heartburn, danced with Jane Fonda in Rollover, and appeared in Hair and Woody Allen's Zelig. He also enjoyed careers in broadcasting, securities research, and advertising.

Born in St. Paul, Minn., he prepped at Exeter and Western Reserve. At Princeton, he majored in English, played JV football, ran track, and was a member of Tiger Inn. He joined the Army Air Force in 1943 and flew 35 combat missions in Europe as a B-17 pilot, returned to Princeton to earn his degree in 1946, and then attended Harvard Business School.

Chuck wrote sensitively in our 50th-reunion directory, about his life appearing unfocused. But he candidly called the firebombing of Dresden, Germany (when he piloted the second plane in), a "terror raid, pure and simple," and regretted it. He worried about our classmates "who didn't return," and about the world younger people face.

Chuck is survived by two daughters, Kathleen Herrero and Tracy Hritz; a son, John Denney; and seven grandchildren. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Our sincere condolences go to his family.

The Class of 1944