Henry E. Bessire ’57

Hank died Nov. 18, 2011.

He came to Princeton from Louisville, Ky. At Princeton he majored in politics, joined Cap and Gown, and was a class officer. He was active in the Campus Fund Drive and Undergraduate Council. His senior roommates were Gates Agnew, Bill Glassco, and Wally Geoghegan.

After graduating, Hank worked in Annual Giving at Princeton and served in the Army at Fort Knox. He married Louise Helm in 1959, and they became the parents of sons Paul and Mark. They settled in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.

After a stint at Morgan Stanley, John D. Rockefeller III invited Hank to join Lincoln Center. With close friend and composer William Schuman, Hank played a key role in developing Lincoln Center as the premier performing arts center.

Hank was instrumental in building a development office that would transform nonprofit fundraising. The New York State Theater, Metropolitan Opera House, and Lincoln Center were opened during this period. In 1969 he returned to Princeton as vice president for development for 11 years. In 1980 he returned to New York as a partner with what is now Brakeley Briscoe.

Hank loved art, dance, travel, good friends, family, and Martha’s Vineyard.

To Louise and their sons, the class extends its condolences.