James Van Etten Bent ’57

Jimmy died Jan. 13, 2024, peacefully at home.

He graduated from The Bolles School in 1953 as valedictorian. At Princeton, he majored in economics and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Jimmy joined the Right Wing Club and Cottage Club, where he participated in intramural sports, and he was a member of the college freshman and junior varsity squash teams. A company commander in the Naval ROTC, after graduation he served two years as a lieutenant junior grade in the Navy with tours in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Caribbean.

In 1958, he married Patricia Cummer, and they had three children, Patricia Bent MacRae ’81, Jimmy Jr., and Robert Paul. For more than 60 years until his retirement in 2021, Jimmy worked tirelessly to grow and maintain the Florida School Book Depository, following in his father’s footsteps as chairman of the depository.

He also sat on the boards of Barnett Bank, the Southeast Atlantic Corp., the Museum of Science and History, the Bolles School, and the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Foundation. He served as president of the local Princeton Club and on the schools and scholarships committee. Jimmy and Patricia established the Bent Family Foundation in 1998 to further their commitment to education.

Jimmy is survived by his wife Patricia; their three children; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and his sister, Elizabeth Bent Colmery and her family.