Eben Hardie Jr. ’54

Eben Hardie died suddenly April 23, 2010, while playing tennis.

Born in New Orleans, he majored in economics at Princeton. He served two years in the Army, where he commanded a Nike battery. He spent 49 years working for Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, retiring in 2004. One of his early passions was flying, and he took pride that he used to fly himself to Princeton from New Orleans.

Eben gave generously of his time to a number of philanthropic endeavors, including the YMCA, Dillard University, Fling Goodrich Hospital, and the United Way. He created the Eben Hardie Endowed Professor Chair of Dillard University. He served on the board of the Thornhill Foundation for 35 years and was its president at the time of his death.

Eben was married twice and had five children before marrying Linda Hughes Pruitt in 1983. The class extends its sympathy to Linda; his five children and their spouses; his stepdaughter, Jill; and 12 grandchildren. A memorial service was held April 25 at Deer Creek Shores Presbyterian Church in Cumming, Ga.