James F. Anderson ’48

Jim died Oct. 7, 2015, in Glen Allen, Va.

His career was in the Presbyterian ministry. Born in Elizabeth, N.J., in 1927, he prepared at Newark Academy. After serving as a Navy hospital corpsman and graduating with a psychology degree from Princeton, Jim had originally aimed to attend medical school. However, as he noted in our 50th-reunion book, “Princeton was an important factor in bringing me to the conviction that I was being called to the Christian ministry.”

After graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1952 and being ordained in his hometown church, he taught at the Hun School and at Lafayette College. Then he held pastorates in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Michigan. Jim served for 22 years as pastor at Kirk in the Hills in Bloomfield, Mich., and was elected honorary pastor emeritus there in 1994.

Jim married Bette Dillensnyder in 1953; she survives him, as do their children James Jr., Mark, and Rebecca Williams; and nine grandchildren.

As Jim wrote,  “The word … for our attitude better than any other is ‘thankful.’ We have been blessed with a great marriage and a loving family … good friends at Princeton, and help … in discovering how to learn.”