Douglas L. Ayer ’58

Doug died May 15, 2025, in Greenwich, Conn. He was 89.

He came to Princeton from Phillips Andover Academy, where he was on the track, squash, and soccer teams and was on the school paper. At Princeton, Doug majored in aeronautical engineering and was a member of Tiger Inn. He rowed and played squash as a freshman and threw the javelin for the varsity track team.

After graduation, Doug flight tested the new DC-8 for 2 1/2 years for Douglas Aircraft Co., then returned to Harvard Business School and earned an MBA in 1962. After three months abroad, he worked for McKinsey in New York and London. He had met and married Carolyn Heinlein while she was still at Wellesley. They have three children and several grandchildren.

His outlook on life is well expressed in our 50th-reunion yearbook.

Doug is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren. The class extends its deepest sympathy to them all.