Howard Noble Rigby Jr. ’51

Howard was raised in Maplewood, N.J., and graduated from Newark Academy in 1947. At Princeton he majored in English, was a member of the German Club, played in the Band, and joined Court Club. He roomed with Bob Rheinstein and Scott Stewart. After graduation he earned a master’s degree in English at Yale and a second master’s degree in Russian during summer sessions at Middlebury while teaching at St. Mark’s School in Salt Lake City.

In 1960, Howard joined the faculty of Friends Select School in central-city Philadelphia to teach classes in German, Russian, French, Latin, and English literature. He also was the pianist for the choir and accompanied student groups on cultural tours to Europe. 

Howard lived in Paoli, a far-western suburb of Philadelphia, for almost 60 years, where he enjoyed a houseful of cats, gardening, music, reading novels in French and German, and counseling young people until his death Jan. 30, 2022. There were no immediate survivors.