Louis R. Roth ’76

The class lost one of its most enthusiastic and best-loved classmates on Feb. 26, 2002, when Luke died in Des Moines, Iowa. A non-smoker his entire life, Luke died after a six-month battle with lung cancer.

A self-described "Republican activist," Luke spent most of his adult life in politics. He served as the executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa, the district director for US Rep. Greg Ganske of Des Moines, and as George W. Bush's state campaign director in the 2000 primary election. As Pres. Bush's campaign director, Luke helped to secure a key victory in Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses.

At Princeton, Luke played varsity football and was a member of Tower Club and the Whig-Clio debate panel. Beginning in 1976, Luke shepherded the class's 2001 Fund, through which the class contributed more than $1.3 million to the university at our 25th reunion.

A devoted husband and father, and a loyal Princetonian to the end, Luke is survived by his wife, Katie; his children, Luke, Anne, and Clare; his sister, Sherry; and by hundreds of classmates who loved him.

The Class of 1976