Charles Elliott Blackford III ’45

Charlie died May 4, 2005, after an extended struggle with emphysema.

Charlie entered Princeton from Deerfield Academy and stayed with us for a very short time, leaving to matriculate at the Naval Academy in Annapolis and then serving as an ensign on the battleship USS New York in the Pacific theater. As a Navy officer he was involved with atomic bomb testing on Bikini and Kwajalein islands, and was recalled for service during the Korean conflict.

Charlie earned a master's from New York University and later attended the Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University. In 1946 he married the former Elaine "Bunny" Davis and joined People's Trust Co. in Hackensack, N.J., his native city. He then joined Morgan Guaranty Trust Co. in New York City and retired as a vice president of J.P. Morgan Bank.

Charlie and Bunny retired to Amelia Island, Fla., in 1999. In addition to his wife, Charlie is survived by his sons, Charles IV and David E. Blackford; his daughter, Cynthia Blackford Gropp s'76; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. The class extends its sympathy to the family.

The Class of 1945