George Delano Kopperl ’51 *56

George was born March 17, 1930, in Orange, N.J., and came to Princeton from Phillips Academy, Andover.  

A chemical engineer, he belonged to Cannon and roomed with Bob Dickhaus, Wentz Fehrenbach, Joe Howell, Rudy Huszagh, and Paul Schleyer. Graduating cum laude, George also earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering at Princeton.  

He continued graduate studies at Yale under the auspices of an Atomic Energy Commission fellowship. Early on, he went to work for Sprague Electric in Concord, N.H., where he was active in the development of transistors.  

In 1964, George entered New Hampshire politics and was elected to the state legislature, serving for 10 years. There he melded politics with his engineering background, concentrating on environmental issues.

George and Mildred Stevens were married in 1957 and raised their family in New Hampshire. He had become a ham radio operator in his teens and continued that interest the rest of his life. He also had a great love of music, especially for the classics and musical theater.  

George died Oct. 4, 2008, after a 12-year battle with cancer. He is survived by Millie; son Meredith; daughter Jane; grandchildren Elizabeth and Natalie Paliga; and his brother, Paul ’54.