Dana E. Dreibelbis ’78

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Dana E. Dreibelbis ’78
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A stroke took Dana Dec. 1, 2023, ending a life of service, adventure, and creativity. 

Dana joined us from Oxford, Pa., a much shorter distance than the 600 miles he had already hiked on the Appalachian Trail. He played soccer until sidelined by injuries and majored in geology. Dana was part of the section that reopened Cloister, happily for all as he met Leslie Conrad ’77 and began a life partnership that grew to include their four children and four grandchildren.

The summer after junior year, Dana went to India with Princeton-in-Asia, teaching English and working in women’s health through the same hospital where President Bob Goheen ’40 *48 had been born a generation before. Bringing his family back to the hospital and surrounding villages 30 years later was a deeply moving experience of what had been so formative for him. 

Dana’s career in publishing took him many places, both physically and intellectually, and included being named Publisher of the Year in 2006. Carrying his passions into retirement, he started a Scout troop in Trenton and spearheaded a Juneteenth celebration in Princeton, volunteered with the Petey Greene Program, and honed his skills in woodworking and drawing. 

We join Leslie and Dana’s family in grieving this rich life, over too soon.

Paw in print

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The cover of PAW’s November 2024 issue, featuring an illustration of a military tank that's made out of a pink brain, and the headline "Armed With Ideas: Princetonians lead think tanks through troubled political times."
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November 2024

Princetonians lead think tanks; the perfect football season of 1964; Nobel in physics.