Lemuel Skidmore Jr. ’39

LEM DIED Aug. 24, 1992. Diagnosed with terminal cancer in Jan. 1991 and given six months to live, Lem kept the monster at bay for 20 months. Savoring, each day, Lem was heroic in the true sense of the word. He was sustained by the warm presence of his five devoted childrenAnne, Mary, Lemuel III, Eugene, and Peggy; by a daily ceremonial stipend of Dewar's; and by inner resources that confounded his doctors.

Lem came to Princeton from Exeter and went on to Harvard Law, graduating in 1946 after time our for some noteworthy action with the PT squadrons in the South Pacific, earning two battle stars, a Presidential unit citation, and the rank of lieutenant commander. In 1944, on one of his leaves, he married Anne Kinkead. Anne died in 1979,

Lem devoted his life to his family, the law, and to the pursuit of happiness. He was an unreconstructed wooden boat sailor, piloting his beloved SKID'S ROW through uncharted seas summer after summer; a militant Mets fan; a formidable bass in any barbershop quartet; and among the Class's most loyal Princetonians. For Lem, reunions were holy days of obligation.

Our affectionate sympathy goes out to his children; to his sister Mary Truesdale, and to his seven grandchildren.

The Class of 1939