Kenneth G. Negus ’52 *57

Ken came to us from a high school in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to be in the Class of  ’49. In the middle of sophomore year he left to join the Army, serving in Germany and Austria. This had an important effect upon his life, as he returned to graduate with the Class of ’52 and majored in German. He was president of the German Club and was in the Russian and Spanish clubs. Ken ran track, sang in the Chapel Choir and the Glee Club, and joined Prospect. 

He earned a master’s degree from Princeton in 1954 and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study in Germany for two years. In 1957 he earned his Ph.D. from Princeton.  

He taught at Princeton, Northwestern, and Harvard, then settled at Rutgers until retiring early in 1986. At the time of our 50th reunion he wrote in The Book of Our History, amusingly, that he was living “in Princeton at the same address, living in quiet contentment as the Hermit of Harrison Street, frequently wandering around town and campus where many fond memories are revived.” 

Ken died Jan. 20, 2017. He is survived by his wife, Carol, and children, Niki, Chris, and John. To them we offer our good wishes along with a salute to their father for his military service to our country.