Eugene Virginius Connett IV ’42

Gene was the son of Eugene Connett III 1912 and came to Princeton from St. Paul’s School, where he was active in club football and ice hockey.  

At Princeton he rowed on the freshman lightweight crew, was a member of Triangle Club and Cottage Club, and majored in modern languages.

After graduation, Gene served initially as a first lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, but his fluency in French brought him an OSS assignment in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France.

Following the war Gene worked for three New York advertising agencies. Ultimately he became involved in marketing in the carpet industry. He served as vice president of the American Carpet Institute in New York before his retirement in 1974 to Stonington, Conn., where he was surrounded by a loving family.  

Gene was an accomplished small-boat racer for the Riverside (Conn.) Yacht Club. Later he sailed for pleasure in Stonington Harbor and Fishers Island Sound.  

His wife, Etheldred, died in 1995. He is survived by his daughters, Stacey Spartz, Bevan Kinney, and Kathryn Loh; his sons, Eugene V and Aubrey; and seven grandchildren. The class sends its condolences to them all.