John A. Wilson ’50

Jack died Aug. 20, 2020, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

He graduated from Deerfield. At Princeton, where his father was in the Class of 1925, he received the ROTC Distinguished Military Student Award, played varsity soccer, and was in Orange Key. He belonged to Colonial and graduated with honors in history.

The Korean War cut his time in business school at Stanford short. As a lieutenant, he posted 160 missions in light aircraft as an aerial artillery spotter. After Korea he took a job in San Francisco with Equitable Life. In 1960 he moved to New York to take over the family insurance business.

After a successful career developing and managing benefits programs, he retired in 1985. He moved to Scottsdale in 1990.

When in the East, he spent summers on Martha’s Vineyard at the family compound. After his move west, he found a favorite summer spot in Pacific Beach, Calif.

He was a competitive tennis player, winning many championships in Nantucket, where he was a preferred doubles partner of Walter Cronkite. A man of both coasts, Jack loved sharing his passion for Western memorabilia.

Jack is survived by children Heather, Anne, Bradley, and John; and six grandchildren. His second wife, Phyllis, predeceased him.