Henry E. Fish ’48

Hank died Feb. 29, 2016, at his home in Erie, Pa. He was 90.

After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy and serving as an aviation cadet, he entered Princeton in 1945. Hank was captain of the varsity lacrosse team and was named an All-American for three years. He was president of Tiger Inn and graduated cum laude with a degree in economics.

After earning a master’s degree at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Hank embarked on a career in health care and medical-equipment manufacturing. He began at General Electric, then worked for 38 years at the American Sterilizer Co., where he became president, CEO, and then chairman before retiring in 1988.

He was a lifelong leader in a wide range of civic, business, sports, and educational activities. Hank’s greatest volunteer passion was as a parent, grandparent, board member, and trustee of the “small, struggling, but outstanding” Erie Day School.

Hank’s father, a member of the Class of 1919, was an ambulance driver in World War I. Other Princetonians in the family include his uncle, Robert 1912; and his late brothers, Howard ’52 and John ’55.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Laurana Schultz Fish; children Susan Fish Strayer, Dori Fish Gravanda, and Henry Fish II; six grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.