Lon F. Israel Jr. ’45

Lon Israel died May 19, 2011.

Lon entered Princeton from Kirkwood (Mo.) High School, where he had been class valedictorian. At Princeton, he joined Colonial Club and rowed on both freshman and varsity crew, becoming captain of the latter in 1943. Along with a sizable group of engineers in our class, Lon accelerated and received his engineering degree in 1944. He served as a Navy engineering officer aboard two destroyers in the North Atlantic.

Following completion of his service, he joined Whirlpool Corp. in Michigan as a project engineer. Lon relocated to California, where in 1973, with a former associate and venture capital, founded a company that manufactured electronic printers. He sold the company to ITT in 1978.

Lon became a rancher, and with his wife, the former Mary Macaulay, he maintained residences in Nevada and California and concentrated his energies on a philanthropic and educational organization they founded known as the Oakmead Foundation.

In addition to Mary, Lon is survived by his stepson, Thomas Wood, and two step-grandchildren. The class extends its sympathy to the family.