Herbert E. Wilgis Jr. ’57

Herbert died Feb. 2, 2018, in his sleep at his Wilmington, N.C., home. He was 82. Herbert was a retired career diplomat who later became president of a Baltimore engineering and environmental testing firm.

At Princeton he ate at Ivy, majored in history, played lacrosse, and was on Orange Key. His senior-year roommates were R. Carroll, T. Casey, S. Emery, E. Faber, B. Verner, and C. Weedward.

He entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1958, and during his nearly three-decade career held postings in Washington, Barcelona, Honduras, Budapest, Bonn, and Warsaw. During his tenure as deputy chief of mission in Budapest, he ensured the return of the Holy Crown of St. Stephen to Hungary, thus ending years of tension during the Cold War. While serving as charge d’affaires in Poland, he led the American Embassy in 1981 during the Polish government’s imposition of martial law. He supported Lech Walesa and the Solidarity resistance movement.

Herbert retired in 1986 and returned to Baltimore. He became president of Penniman & Browne, a Bare Hills engineering and environmental-testing firm. He retired in 2001.

Herbert moved to Wilmington in 2015. He enjoyed vacationing at a second home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and presiding over family crab feasts. He was an avid reader of history and with Jane, his wife of 59 years, he collected modern art and prints.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons, Herbert ’83, Jeffrey, and Edward; and four grandchildren.