Joseph Curtis Briggs ’53

Joe was born in Rochester, N.Y., and came to Princeton from the Kent School. He joined Colonial Club, majored in economics, and wrote his thesis on “Democracy in the United Auto Workers Union.”

After graduation and marriage, Joe entered a training program with the Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Co. in Rochester and became vice president for marketing before retiring at the age of 45 in order to do some “extended ocean sailing” with his wife. Over the next 17 years, Joe and Nancy sailed some 50,000 miles in their 42-foot sloop Sundowner, crossing the Atlantic to explore the Mediterranean and North Sea as well as the Rhone River and French and Dutch canals before returning by way of the Canary Islands.

Back in Rochester, Joe and Nancy were deeply involved in establishing the Horizons Summer Learning Program for inner-city youth, Goodwill Excel Centers for adults with education gaps, and scholarship programs at the Rochester Institute of Technology aimed primarily at first-generation college students. Retiring to Florida, Joe became involved with Habitat for Humanity.

Joe died Jan. 22, 2021. Predeceased by their son, James, and grandson, Mark, Joe is survived by his wife, Nancy; two children; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.