Morton Collins *63

Mort died Dec. 14, 2021, in Princeton after a long illness. 

Born Jan. 28, 1936, in Somers Point, N.J., Mort earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton in 1963.

Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army in 1963, Mort flew more than 160 missions over the South China Sea. He enjoyed piloting his own planes in civilian life.

In 1968 Mort founded Data Science Ventures (DSV), a pioneering venture-capital firm with offices in Princeton and Newport Beach, Calif. DSV partnerships specialized in early-stage financing of high-technology companies in the fields of life sciences, electronic materials, communications, and software.

A former chairman of the National Venture Capital Association, Mort chaired President Ronald Reagan’s Task Force on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and served as a technology-policy adviser to President George H.W. Bush.

Mort served on the leadership council of Princeton’s school of engineering and Graduate School as well as the Institute for Advanced Study’s Systems Biology Advisory Council.

Mort was predeceased by wives Carole and Eva and by daughter Lisa. He is survived by his wife Donna; children Kristy, Melissa, Quincey, and Tyler; and 13 grandchildren.