Peter E. Jasper ’55

Pete, a former Air Force test pilot, aeronautic engineer, and specialist in celestial mechanics, died April 12, 2024. He was born Sept. 23, 1933, on Staten Island. He attended the Pingry School, where he participated in basketball, baseball, soccer, publications, and dramatics.

At Princeton, Pete joined Tower Club and majored in mechanical engineering. He was affiliated with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and participated in IAA basketball, football, and softball. Senior year he roomed with Bob Barnes. 

After graduation and service in the Air Force, he received a master’s degree in systems engineering and operations research from the University of Pennsylvania and another master’s degree in engineering from Drexel. 

Soon after graduation from Princeton, Pete married Joan, whom he had met in high school when he was 14. He loved spending time with his four children and 11 grandchildren on Long Beach Island and especially enjoyed long nature walks along the beach. He had a passion for gardening and had a green thumb, especially with supersonic tomatoes and sugar snap peas.

Pete was an avid lover of sports, particularly skilled in basketball and tennis. He had a strong interest in astronomy and built a six-inch telescope that he loved to gaze at the stars with his grandchildren. A friend described him as “a sweet, gentle soul who smiled often and had a great sense of humor.” He was deeply spiritual and introduced his family to meditation back in the 1970s, before the practice became mainstream.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Joan; children Peter Jr., Cynthia, James, and John; 11 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.