Ven died Dec. 8, 1999, of acute Leukemia. He was 72. He came to Princeton from the Lawrenceville School and majored in modern languages, graduating with high honors. He was a member of Cloister Inn. He served in the Army.
After graduation Ven became a playwright and screenwriter as well as a teacher of those arts at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He was still active in teaching there until just before his death. His best known screenplay was his 1969 collaboration with the director Arthur Penn on "Alice's Restaurant." The movie starred Arlo Guthrie and was based on Guthrie's song of the same name. He was also the author of a book about the life of James Dean.
He is survived by his wife, Sharon Anson, and a daughter, Isabelle Molinaro. The class extends its deepest sympathy to them both.
The Class of 1949