Edward Joseph Eyring ’55

Edward and his wife, Mary Jane Eyring, were killed May 14, 2002, in a traffic accident in Honduras. A State Department official said the couple's car was struck by a truck on the highway.

Ed, a native of Oakland, Calif., was reared in Las Vegas, N.Mex. At Princeton he majored in chemistry, joined Campus Club, earned a varsity letter in fencing, and played IAA sports. He attended Harvard Medical School and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at UCSF. He practiced medicine in Ohio until the early '70s, before moving to Knoxville, Tenn. He and Mary Jane participated in the Knoxville Area Rescue Ministry.

In 1996 they moved to DC to head the District's Gospel Mission program, which offers drug and alcohol treatment programs, education classes, and shelter. Under their leadership the programs flourished, including the conversion of the old Fulton Hotel from a crackhouse to a boarding house for homeless and addicted women. Most missions require that their clients attend prayer service, but Ed made it voluntary. He reported that turnout had tripled. "Before, they used to spend their time complaining and giving excuses," he said. "Now they just come."

Survivors include daughters, Margot, Lisa Guthrie, Alison, Jean McDonald; son Edward II; and nine grandchildren.

The Class of 1955