F. Peter Boer ’61

Peter died Oct. 3, 2022, in Alexandria, Va.

Born in Budapest and raised in Lackawanna, N.Y., he graduated from Nichols School. At Princeton, he majored in physics (Phi Beta Kappa), played IAA sports, and ate at Terrace.

Following a Ph.D. in physics at Harvard, he embarked on a remarkable career and life. He worked for Dow Chemical, American Can, and W.R. Grace, retiring as executive vice president and chief technical officer. He served on eight corporate boards; was John J. Lee professor at Yale, president of the Industrial Research Institute, chairman of National Medals of Technology, and served on eight government and six academic boards, including Los Alamos and the EPA. He was cited on William Lipscomb’s Nobel Prize and elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Peter enjoyed serving as class treasurer and vice president and would have been delighted that Ellen is succeeding him as treasurer. Having been to more than 180 countries, he authored 10 books on his travels and industrial management.

Peter is survived by his wife of 60 years, Ellen; daughter Alexa ’90; son Andrew ’93; four grandchildren including Kate ’26; and their children-in-law, both also Princetonians.