Edward Ralph Kimmel ’42

Ned died July 1, 2005, at home in Wilmington, Del.

A graduate of Western High School in Washington, D.C., Ned majored in politics at Princeton. He was president of Court Club until joining the Naval Reserve as an ensign after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, where his father, Adm. Husband Kimmel, was commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet.

Ned served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger in the North Atlantic, and later as officer-in-charge of the Naval radio station in Philadelphia until his discharge from active duty as lieutenant commander.

After graduation from Harvard Law School in 1948, Ned embarked on a distinguished career with E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. He retired in 1984 as a senior attorney.

Ned lent his leadership talents to the Wilmington community in politics, in social clubs, on corporate boards, and to the Episcopal Church.

In retirement Ned devoted himself full time to restoring the honor and reputation of his father, who the Navy had found "guilty of dereliction of duty for not having been adequately prepared" and was stripped of his rank (see PAW's A Moment With, April 6, 2005). Subsequent investigations revealed Japanese messages indicating imminent attack had been deliberately withheld from Kimmel. Ned's son, Manning, is continuing his father's quest.

To Harriott, Ned's devoted wife of 63 years, and his four children, the class extends deepest sympathy.

The Class of 1942