Herbert Rein Runne ’61

Rein died peacefully Nov. 28, 2015, at home in Irvington, N.Y.

He was born in Paide, Estonia, to a prominent local family. They fled their homeland during the Soviet invasion in 1944, managed to escape from Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany, and eventually emigrated from the Geislingen displaced-persons camp to the United States in 1949.

At Princeton, Rein graduated cum laude, and was a member of the pre-law society and a keyceptor. He chaired the Nassau Herald, and as a member of Key and Seal, served as the club’s bicker secretary. His thesis, “Once Free, Once Proud,” was a study of the first Soviet occupation of Estonia between 1939 and 1941.

Following Yale Law School, Rein joined Cravath, and then began a 44-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, retiring as corporate legal counsel from Pfizer in 2008. He focused his career on new-drug approval and helped spearhead the U.S. vaccination-liability system adopted in the 1970s, ushering in an era of innovation and access. He enjoyed all that makes life beautiful in retirement, including his Bethany Beach, Del., home.

Rein is survived by Susan, his wife of 31 years; a son, Alex, and his husband, Justin; and a daughter, Jennifer.