Clinton W. Trowbridge ’50

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Clint, author and professor, died June 24, 2017, in Sedgwick, Maine, where he had lived for many years.

After graduating from Groton, he came to Princeton, where his father had been in the Class of 1920. He was a member of Cottage and majored in philosophy. Six years later he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

Clint held professorships in English at Rollins College (Fla.), College of Charleston (S.C.), Dowling College (N.Y.), and College of the Atlantic (Maine). He also taught creative writing, drama, the Bible as literature, and environmental journalism. In 1977, he retired from teaching to devote himself full time to his ultimate passion, writing.

He authored three books: The Crow Island Journal, The Boat That Wouldn’t Sink, and Grotties Don’t Kiss. His whimsical and insightful style was reflected in more than 100 largely autobiographical essays and articles, which appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Harper’s Magazine, Readers Digest, and in many other magazines and newspapers.

He is survived by his wife, Elaine; daughters Tessa and Michele; sons Paul and Patrick; two stepdaughters; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. His first wife, Lucille, whom he married just before Commencement in 1950, died in 1996. 

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