John McKibbin Bigelow ’43

John died in Fontana, Wis., Sept. 30, 2001; he was 79. He prepared for Princeton at St. Paul Academy in St. Paul, Minn. After graduation from Princeton in Jan. 1943, John spent three war years on LST 139 as a Navy lieutenant.

Returning to civilian life, John turned to writing, a skill honed at the Nassau Sovereign, founded by Malcolm Forbes '41. A move to Alaska for a stint with the Anchorage News was followed by another to NYC, where he worked for his old friend at Forbes magazine until 1951. A "start-over" trek to Chicago with the A. B. Dick Co. resulted in a 35-year association. John raced sailboats from the age of 12, winning two Rainbow Nationals at Lake George and the Sonar class finale just days before his death.

John's first wife, Madeleine Sheridan, died in 1957. He then married Merle Hanson in 1958. John was the proud father of six children, and the equally proud grandfather of 14. To them all, we extend our sympathy.

The Class of 1943