Christopher M. Ragus ’72

Chris died peacefully May 30, 2016, at his home in Canandaigua, N.Y., after a long illness resulting from a major stroke in 2013.

Chris was born in Manhattan, spent his early years in the Bronx, and came to Princeton from Scarsdale High School. He intended to study math, but became distracted by philosophy and spent his college and post-graduate years exploring the visual arts, music, European cultural history, medicine, and architecture. He was a three-year resident of Wilson College, where he particularly enjoyed the intellectual stimulation and camaraderie, and was often found in the company of Saralinda Hooker ’73. The two were married in 1978 and relocated to the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York in 1979, after Chris earned his master’s of architecture degree from Columbia.

He brought a remarkable talent and aesthetic judgment to bear in a satisfying career in architecture, working for firms in and around Rochester, N.Y., until 2013. His work demonstrated a deep appreciation for architectural history, craftsmanship, landscape, materials, proportion, and the building trades.

Chris is survived by his wife; his son, Alex Ragus; and a brother and sister, Jeremy and Amy Ragus. The class extends condolences to the family.