David Lyle Thoburn ’28

Lyle Thoburn died Aug. 14, 1996, having suffered from Alzheimer's for several years.

He attended Pittsburgh's Peabody H.S. and came to Princeton on a scholarship from the Princeton Alumni Assn. of Pittsburgh. He majored in English and French, played basketball and lacrosse, sang in the choir, and was a member of Elm Club.

He lived all his adult life in the Cleveland area. In 1932 he married Winifred M. Horton. They had two sons and five grandchildren. Winifred died in 1966; in 1968 he married Eleanor H. Towell.

He worked in the family-owned company, Bowman Products, where he was v.p. and later, president. When the company was sold to Associated Spring Corp., he served on its board. He retired in 1968.

During WWII, he served in the Army Air Corps first as a captain; he was discharged as a lieutenant colonel in 1946. Lyle's passion was collecting military miniatures, military arms, uniforms, and equipment, a hobby he began in 1914. At its peak, his collection numbered 11,000 pieces and was recognized as outstanding both in the U.S. and abroad. The collection is now on display at the Geauga County Historical Society in Burton, Ohio.

His son Thomas, in writing of his father's death, said: "Father had very fond feelings toward Princeton and the education he received there." The class expresses its sympathy to his wife and family.

The Class of 1928