Jeffrey P. Carstens ’57

    Jeff devoted a great deal of his life to crew, first as a heavyweight oarsman and assistant coach at Princeton, and then as a coach and mentor for students at Glastonbury (Conn.) High School and inner-city teenagers in the Hartford area. He died May 14, 2023, in Mystic, Conn.

A resident of Evanston, Ill., who came to Princeton from North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, Ill. Jeff was one of the few classmates from that area who did not attend Evanston or New Trier high school. He majored in aeronautical engineering and was a member of Cannon Club and St. Paul’s Society. Senior year he roomed with Johnny Eaton and Jay Strausser. Like Johnny, Jeff had a lifelong interest in classical music and jazz. 

Shortly after graduation Jeff married Lucy Truesdale “Dale” Gotham and was a research assistant and graduate student (and coach) at Princeton, earning a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering in 1961. He then joined United Technologies in Connecticut, where he spent his entire career, attaining the rank of general manager of the laser systems division. 

Dale and Jeff had four children, but lost their son in a drowning incident at age 4, and a daughter in middle life. He is survived by Dale, children Julie and Virgil, and their families.