Frederic Rosengarten Jr. ’38 *40

Fritz Rosengarten died May 9, 1998, after a short illness in Palm Beach, Fla. At Princeton he graduated with honors in modern languages and was a member of Ivy Club and the varsity track and cross-country teams.

Starting in 1940, he lived for many years in Guatemala with his family. He began a career as an experimental agriculturist, author, and entrepreneur by managing a Merck cinchona plantation, which produced quinine. During WWII, he went to Germany, serving as a lieutenant in Army Intelligence. Thereafter, he returned to Guatemala and experimented with different crops at varying altitudes. He developed successful "fincas," or plantations, of cardamom, citronella, coffee, and macadamia nuts. In 1960 the president of Guatemala decorated him with the Order of Quetzal, Guatemala's highest medal of recognition, for boosting Guatemala's economy with cardamom exports. He was also a member of the prestigious Linnean Society of London. Over the years Fritz wrote several books about the agriculture and history of Central America: The Book of Edible Nuts, Freebooters Must Die, and most notably, The Book of Spices.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Miriam, four daughters, and 10 grandchildren, to all of whom the class extends its deepest sympathy.

The Class of 1938