John R. Van Dyke ’34

John died Jan. 13, 2015, at Twining Village in Holland, Pa. He was 102.

He came to Princeton from the Choate School, majored in history, and was a member of the Glee Club for four years. After graduation, he began a career at IBM designing systems for the insurance industry. In 1940, he joined Prudential Insurance and then helped design and manage the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey to determine the most effective bombing methods.

In 1946, while at Prudential, John designed and installed an automated system in Princeton’s registrar’s office to process the influx of students returning from military service. He retired from Sperry Rand in 1977 and moved with his wife to Rehoboth Beach, Del.

In retirement, John was active in the local Episcopal Church and led a grassroots effort to start a YMCA in Rehoboth, which was founded in 1980. He was elected as its first president. He was later appointed to the YMCA of Delaware’s board of directors, inducted into Delaware’s YMCA Hall of Fame, and honored in 2006 with its Legacy Award.

John’s wife, Nina, died in 2001. His survivors include his children, John ’65, Carter, and Nina; a granddaughter; and a niece.