Francis Sydney Bancroft Jr. ’27

Syd died on Sept. 25, 1989, at his retirement home, Cokesbury Village, in Hockessin, Del., after having worked for 58 years as a priest of the Episcopal Church. Four days before he died, he taught his last Greek class at the Univ. of Delaware. "He was not one to quit," said Dean Allan H. Hohlt, of St. John's Cathedral in Wilmington, where Syd was a canon and canon emeritus for 30 years. He received his theological education at Exeter College (Oxford) and at General Seminary, and in 1931, he was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in N.Y.C. He then served as curate and rector at parishes in New York and New Jersey and as rector of St. Peter's, in Smyrna, Del.

He balanced deep learning with charming humanity, sportsmanship, and penetrating wit. He could converse in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and preach the gospel in plain language. His interests ranged over golf, fishing, book collecting, music, Princeton football, the University Library, the Lions Club, and travel. Above all, his was a sterling character. Dean Hohlt said, "He is one of the finest examples of what it is to be a Christian I've ever known. I'm grateful for the years I've had with him."

His service of thanksgiving filled St. John's Cathedral. The lectors were Syd's children, the Rev. Francis S. III and Mrs. Ann B. Fredricksen. The class sends its sympathy to them, to Syd's widow Sylvia Stainton Bancroft, to his brother Harding F., and to his five grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be sent to St. John's Cathedral, 10 Concord Ave., Wilmington, DE 19802.

The Class of 1927