John Ogden Nelson ’39

John died June 24, 2005, at his home in Boulder, Colo., after a long illness. He was 88.

One of the large Lawrenceville contingent in our class, he graduated from Princeton magna cum laude with a degree in philosophy and won the McCosh Prize in his field.

After serving four years as a first lieutenant in military intelligence, largely in Europe, he received a master's degree with distinction from Colgate in 1948 and a Ph.D. from Cornell in 1951. John went on to a career of teaching, research, and writing articles for publication. In 1950 he joined the philosophy department at the University of Colorado, where he was professor for the next 33 years. In his field, he was known and honored worldwide.

He loved traveling with his wife, Edna, especially the days they spent in the Prado.

He listed as his greatest satisfactions his wife and children, getting a philosophy article published now and again, and once in a great, great while, making a birdie.

John is survived by Edna; their sons, James and Frederic; and two grandsons. We offer them our sincere sympathy.

The Class of 1939