James R. Conant ’75

After a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Jim died Sept. 13, 2014, the day before his 61st birthday, at his home in Brookfield, Conn.

He majored in electrical engineering at Princeton, where he was a trumpeter in and president of the University Band and a member of Quadrangle Club. As an alumnus, he volunteered for the Alumni Schools Committee and Career Services.

Jim earned a master’s degree at UCLA in 1977. In a career that spanned three corporations, he worked on radar-seeker head analysis and design, programmable signal-processing systems for passive sonar, and software development and research. He held two U.S. patents.

Jim’s volunteer efforts in the local community included coaching Math Counts at the local middle school, as well as youth hockey and soccer. He worked for Citizens for a Better Brookfield, Friends of the Lake, and ALS-ETF (Emergency Treatment Fund). In addition, he was an avid ice-hockey player, water skier, and stock-market investor.

Jim’s parents and brother Keith predeceased him. His survivors include his children, Daniel, Carolyn, and Jennette; his former wife, Kathleen Creighton; his sister, Katharine Conant O’Shea; and his brother, Scott. Jim’s many Princeton friends have warm memories of his vibrant spirit and share their loss.