John Martin Stadter Jr. ’52

With the death of John Stadter, the class lost one its finest students. John died from complications of myelodysplasia, a cancer of the bone marrow, Dec. 7, 2003, in Naples, Fla., where he and his wife had retired in 1988.

John's light shone brightly throughout his life. At Princeton he majored in politics, was a member of Court Club, graduated summa cum laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. His wide-ranging extracurricular activities included the Student Christian Association, Catholic Club, Cleveland Club, French Club, and club sports. He was a research assistant as an upperclassman, and his senior-year roommate was Reinhard Kuhn.

Upon graduation John enlisted in the Army and served with several intelligence units. Following separation from the Army, John attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1957. He joined the personal trust department of Morgan Guaranty Trust that year and in 1988 retired as executive vice president and head of venture-capital operations. Pro bono, John also was president of Doctors Hospital in New York for 15 years.

In retirement, John and Sally, his wife of 30 years, traveled widely and pursued their interests in music and reading. To Sally, the class offers its deep sympathy.