John David Cist ’42

Dave Cist died June 24, 2010, in Wilmington, Del.  

Dave was born in Chicago, the son of Frank Cist 1909. He prepared for college at the Kent School, where he was on the football team, tennis team, and crew, and was a member of the Glee Club.

At Princeton, Dave roomed with Ned Page and joined Colonial Club. He was a member of the Undergraduate Council, president of the Glee Club, and a founder of the Nassoons. He majored in modern languages and graduated with honors.  

Following graduation Dave enlisted in the Navy but was forced to withdraw because of an injury to his back. After surgical reconstruction at the Mayo Clinic, he was able to work for Westinghouse until the end of the war. He then attended MIT, from which he received a degree in electrical engineering.  

His subsequent career was as an electrical engineer with DuPont, where he developed electronic methods for quality control. Vacations from DuPont allowed him to expose his family to historical sites in Europe and to the wilderness of northern Ontario.  

Dave’s wife, Mary, died in 2008. He is survived by his son, David ’85; and his daughters, Dorothea Cist ’80, Margaret Ughetta ’82, and Mary-Harding Cist. To them, the class sends condolences.