Edmund V. Cervone ’55

Ed died Nov. 21, 2014, at age 82.

The son of James and Sophia Cervone, Ed was born Feb. 14, 1932, in Trenton, N.J. He prepared at the Hun School in Princeton, majored in English, and wrote his senior thesis on Henry Fielding. He joined Elm Club, rowed 150-pound crew, and roomed in 1901 Hall with Paul Jaenicke, Steve Swensrud, Randall Mooney, Fauxie Gray, Jim Seabrook, Barney Barnett, Steve McNamara, and Peter Horne.

After completing his doctorate at Temple in 1974, he brought his concept of a program providing academic support for bright students with diagnosed learning differences while attending mainstream college preparatory classes to the Pennington School. The Center for Learning opened in 1975 and served as a model for independent schools around the country.

He retired in 1998 but returned to Pennington in 2002 to serve as acting head of the center. Ed touched many young people’s lives, helping them reach their potential and doing so with a unique combination of firmness, compassion, and a sense of humor.

He is survived by his wife, Marian; their children Elisabeth, William, Edmund ’94, and Jennifer; five grandchildren; and his sisters, Doris, Dolores, and Caroline. Our class will remember Ed for his hortatory legerdemain and will miss him greatly.