Frank J. Wetzel III ’67

Frank died June 3, 2021, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., near his home the past 35 years in Highland Park. He had Alzheimer’s his final years.

Frank followed his father, Frank Jr. ’37, and uncle Robert ’39 to Princeton from Iroquois Central High School in Elma, N.Y., where he won the Williams College Book Award, ran cross country, and belonged to the National Honor Society, Student Council, and Kiwanis Key Club.

Frank majored in German at Princeton and wrote his thesis on “Heinrich Böll: A Post-War Literary Analysis.” He belonged to Elm Club, the Marching Band, Concert Band, and Triangle Club. His roommates at 211 Gauss Hall were Charles Popper, James Hoffman, Michael Costa, Richard Cirre, George Bihn, and the late Stan Kops and John Goodman.

After college Frank earned a Ph.D. in German language and literature from Cornell in 1973 and began teaching. He switched careers to get a master’s degree in social science in 1978 from Bryn Mawr and obtained his certified license as a clinical social worker. He began a dedicated lifelong career at the Community Mental Health Center in Piscataway, an affiliate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and then with the university itself, which became in later years Rutgers Medical School. He served for 20 years as an adjunct professor with the medical school and was a family therapist, trauma counselor, and emergency room adviser. He also had a private practice working out of his home.

Frank dedicated his life to medical and social service and honored us all by his work. He is survived by his son Owen, daughter Suzanne, and two grandsons.