Donald P. Reutlinger died after a long illness on Oct. 17, 1999. Reut, as he was known by his friends, came to Princeton after achieving a brilliant high school record in Millburn, N.J. He played freshman and varsity basketball at Princeton and graduated with a degree in English. After a two-year tour in the army, stationed in Europe, he went to Harvard, where he received a master's in English. He stayed at Harvard for a couple of years to work in the Bureau of Study Counsel.
He left to become the dean of students at the Rhode Island School of Design, a position he held for five years. Reut then joined the faculty at Worcester Polytechnic in Worcester, Mass., where he served as the dean of students for over 10 years. His frustration with academic administration led him to retire to his 200-acre farm in western Massachusetts. There, he personally restored his 250-year-old farm house and built a maple sugar processing plant.
Reut entertained and amused friends and acquaintances with a dazzling display of his own poetry, anagrams, and riddles. His verbal pyrotechnics were rounded with a keen sense of irony and wry humor. His exciting voice will be missed.
He leaves a daughter, Karen, and his former wife, Dagmar.
The Class of 1954