Charles W. Roll Jr. ’50

Charlie died May 12, 2002, in Trenton, N.J. Coming from Trenton High, he majored in politics at Princeton and earned a master's in public affairs at Columbia. He served with the peacetime Army in Korea.

Charlie was a well-respected political polling expert, coauthoring several books on polls and contributing to professional journals in American history, political science, and public opinion research. His Pennsylvania poll (1982-92) received widespread attention for its election outcome accuracy. Charlie attributed this to procedures he developed, that determined which poll respondents were likely to vote.

He was president of Political Surveys and Analyses, a firm founded by the late Archibald Crossley '17. Among his clients were governors, senators, and other political notables. Earlier, he was study director at the Gallup Organization for 19 years. Pres. Ford appointed him to the corporate board of Public Broadcasting in 1976.

A lifelong Republican and New Jersey State committeeman, Charlie wrote that this seemed no conflict with Democratic clients "as long as they were no closer than nearby." In 1975 he was a national convention delegate and cast one of New Jersey's electoral votes for Gerald Ford.

Our sympathy is with Charlie's sister, Lenora Lloyd, and his nephew, Harry Lloyd.

The Class of 1950