John Israel Merritt Jr. ’42

Jim died Jan. 24, 2003, at home in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla. He prepared at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia, where he was on the yearbook board. At Princeton he majored in architecture, was active in athletics, and was a member of Tiger Inn. During WWII, Jim piloted a B-24 Liberator bomber (named Liberty Belle) in the European theater and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. His hair-raising experiences as a downed airman rescued by partisans behind enemy lines in Croatia are recounted in Goodbye, Liberty Belle (Wright U. Press, 1993) by his son, John I. Merritt III '66, a former PAW editor. While in flight training, Jim married Jonnie Frances McBay from Waco, Tex. Their marriage of almost 60 years exemplified a beautiful relationship, a delight to behold at our reunions.

Jim had a distinguished career in real estate development; he had retired as CEO of Bellemead Development Corp. [Rutherford, N.J.] and had served on several business- oriented boards, including Passaic Valley Citizens Planning Assn.

A lifelong enthusiastic golfer, he was a member of the Halifax [Fla.] Country Club and Montclair [N.J.] Golf Club. He twice shot his age at 78. To Jonnie, son Jim, daughter Kay McCrosky, two granddaughters, and two great-grandchildren, the class expresses its deepest condolences.

The Class of 1942