John Van Ryn Jr. ’28

John Van Ryn died Aug. 7, 1999, in Palm Beach, Fla. He was 94. He was one of the best known of '28's classmates, having attained international recognition for his expertise in tennis. At Princeton in 1927, he won the U.S. Intercollegiate doubles championship. In 1929 at Wimbledon he won the first of four career Grand Slams with his doubles partner.

Quoting in part from The New York Times ". . . he became the only American man to prevail in Wimbledon's doubles championship for three consecutive years." On the Davis Cup team, the Times said, "Over all Van Ryn produced Davis Cup records of 7-1 in singles and 22-2 in his specialty, doubles." In singles, Johnny ranked among America's top 10 players in his early years.

In his business career, he was manager of the Palm Beach office of Merrill Lynch. He was a member of the Palm Beach Bath and Tennis and Everglades clubs and of several international tennis clubs. During WWII, John served in the Navy, with the rank of lt. com. In 1946 he married Cornelia Drake, the daughter of a Princeton alumnus. The class extends its sympathy to his widow.

The Class of 1928