John A. Worden ’54

John Worden died May 5, 2011, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a year earlier.  

Born in Vincennes, Ind., he graduated from the Lawrenceville School. At Princeton he majored in geology, joined Cap and Gown, and was active in varsity swimming, the Chapel Choir, the Campus Fund Drive, and ROTC.  

After graduation, John served two years in the Army in Germany as a first lieutenant in the 19th Field Artillery Battalion. On his return he accepted a position as a geologist with Shell Oil and worked for the company in four states. Later, he became vice president of Holly Corp., and after his retirement, he became an independent geologist.

John loved many sports, especially golf and swimming, and competed on a national level as a masters swimmer into his 40s, finishing twice in the top 10 nationally in his age group.

After John’s cancer diagnosis, two of his grandchildren organized a charity golf event to raise donations for pancreatic-cancer research. (You can Google the event site, “Hooks for Hope.”)

The class sends condolences to Molly, his wife of 57 years; their three children; eight grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.