James Michael Curran Jr. ’35

Jimmy died Oct. 10 in Houston. He was 86. He prepared for Princeton at Mercersburg Academy, where his father was a renowned track coach and Jimmy a member of the boxing and gym as well as track team. At Princeton he majored in geology, lettered in track ,and served on Dial Lodge's executive committee. His career highlights were, in his own words: "In Aug. 1935 I came to Houston as a geologist for Tidewater Oil Co., working for eight years in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, as well as Texas. Then came a return to Houston as chief geologist for Indiola Oil Co., until 1951, when I became chief geologist for Eastern States Petroleum and Chemical Corp." Jimmy rose to that company's production and exploration manager, a job that took him to Canada, all of Central America, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela.

Jimmy remained a consulting geologist until his death. His interest in track also continued over the decades. Golf eventually became his favorite hobby. "I had a hole-in-one at a Princeton-Yale tournament (in Houston) three years ago," he told classmates in 1960. His wife, the former Nathalie Sandoz, predeceased him. He leaves two sons, James M. III and Stephen, and five grandchildren.

The Class of 1935