DeWitt A. Stern ’32

POPULAR CLASS PRESIDENT DeWitt died Aug. 4, 1994, of cancer. He was 82. At the time of his death, he was chairman of the DeWitt Stern Group, an insurance brokerage firm founded in 1899 by his father. DeWitt had joined the firm after graduation. A creative and innovative pioneer in the insurance field, he was one of the founders of the New York state disability law. In the 1930s, he created group policies affordable to small businesses. He was one of the early chartered property and casualty underwriters in New York. In later years, he channeled his own interests in rare books and numismatics into a specialty field for his firm.

At Princeton, DeWitt was a member of the chess team char fought José Capablanca to a draw in an exhibition match. He was also on the debate team. Over the years, DeWitt had held each office in our class. An earnest fund-raiser for his alma mater, he also established a scholarship in the humanities. His interest in languages (German, French, Italian, Latin, and Greek) led him in later years to become a volunteer teacher of English as a second language. He was also an ardent and accomplished bridge player and accumulated many master points.

DeWitt is survived by his wife of 61 years, Virginia Fox; a granddaughter, Alexandra; and a daughter­in-law, Nelle Nugent. The class mourns with them the passing of this genial, loyal Princetonian.