Clarence Geist Ely ’54

Geist Ely, a longtime resident of New York City, who most recently lived in Lakeville, Conn., and Miami, died June 22, 2007, at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, Conn., after a short illness.

Born in Philadelphia, he graduated from St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H., and completed a postgraduate year at the Lawrenceville School. His graduation from Princeton was delayed by a tour of duty in the Army in Korea. He was a member of Tiger Inn and played varsity hockey.

In addition to being an outstanding golfer, Geist became chairman of the golf committee and board of governors of the Fishers Island Club. He was a member of the Racquet and Tennis Club in New York City and the Sharon (Conn.) Country Club.

During his multifaceted career, he was associated with the investment firm, Janney Montgomery Scott, was a founder of Ondine’s nightclub in New York, and while in St. Croix, USVI, started an inter-island airline. He retired in the 1970s as a vice president for Dean Witter Reynolds.

In addition to his fiancée, Margaret H. Douglas-Hamilton, he is survived by his children, Van Horn III, Clarence Geist, Melinda, and Center Marshall, and five grandchildren. After his younger sister died, he raised her daughter, Elizabeth Gay. One of her four children is named “Geist” after him. The class extends sympathy to them all on their loss.