John R. Helm ’52

John was a remarkable person — engaging yet modest — and loved singing and books. He was well known for serving the communities in which he lived: Montclair, N.J., and Martha’s Vineyard.

He came to Princeton from Exeter and majored in history, sang first tenor in the University Chorus, and belonged to the Student Christian Association. He also sang in the choir and Glee Club, played soccer, and ate at Campus Club. His father, Harold H. Helm 1920, was a University trustee and benefactor. John had numbers of cousins in several generations who were Princetonians.

While John worked in publishing at Doubleday and at Praeger in New York, he sang in the Blue Hill Troupe and in the Collegiate Chorale. He later worked in a Philadelphia bookshop. John’s engagement with Central Presbyterian Church and other community organizations in Montclair and at the Vineyard was recalled with high praise in obituaries.

He died Nov. 29, 2014, leaving a sister, Eleanor Ketcham. The class sends her its best, grieving with her at the loss of one of our favorite brothers.