Otto Lucien Anton Spaeth Jr. ’55

Tony, a noted authority on corporate identity, died of Parkinson’s disease at home in Rye, N.Y., Jan. 13, 2021. He dealt gracefully with Parkinson’s for 15 years, able to walk to the end. With him was Ann, his wife of more than 60 years.

Tony was born in St. Louis Feb. 6, 1934, and before Princeton attended Portsmouth Priory and Millbrook School. At Princeton he joined Key and Seal and majored in architecture. After Princeton he earned an MBA at Harvard in 1963. Tony was involved with Princeton Project 55 in its early days, and Ann was among the first women to serve on its board. 

Tony was a leader in the emerging use of design as a corporate leadership tool. He was a mentor to many in the field, spoke at international conferences, and contributed to several publications.

He was an avid golfer and loved to travel with Ann. Among their favorite trips were Class of  ’55 ventures; they considered their class trip to Italy as perhaps their best trip ever. They were regulars at the biweekly meetings of the One World Book Club, exploring geopolitical issues.

Tony is survived by Ann; his four daughters, Catherine, Jennifer, Bridget, and Crispin; two grandsons; three great-grandchildren; and his sister, Mimi Koon.