Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. ’53

Body

Famed astronaut Pete Conrad, the third man to walk on the moon and the first to carry a Princeton flag on its surface, died July 8, 1999, in a California motorcycle accident. Pete graduated from Darrow School and majored in aeronautical engineering. His club was Colonial.

After graduation Pete became a naval aviator, and in 1962 was selected to be an astronaut. In 1965, he piloted the eight-day Gemini 5 flight, which set an endurance record in orbiting the earth. Princeton awarded him an honorary degree in 1966. He was commander of the Apollo 12 spacecraft for the second lunar landing in 1969. He spent over seven hours on the moon's surface conducting experiments. When he stepped off he shouted, "Whoopee! Man, that may have been a small one [step] for Neil [Armstrong] but that's a long one for me." In 1973, Pete commanded the first manned Skylab mission, and set a world record of 28 days in space. After retiring from NASA and the Navy he was president of Universal Space Lines.

We express deep sympathy to his wife, Nancy, and sons, Peter, Thomas, and Andrew. In an age in which the beautiful people are glorified, Pete was one of a vanishing breed of real heroes. We grieve at the passing of one of Princeton's most prominent alumni.

The Class of 1953

0 Responses

Join the conversation

Plain text

Full name and Princeton affiliation (if applicable) are required for all published comments. For more information, view our commenting policy. Responses are limited to 500 words for online and 250 words for print consideration.

Paw in print

Image
PAW's July/August 2025 issue cover, featuring a photo of people dressed in orange and black, marching in the P-rade, and the headline: Reunions, Back in Orange & Black.
The Latest Issue

July 2025

On the cover: Wilton Virgo ’00 and his classmates celebrate during the P-rade.