Peter W. McDavitt ’56

Pete died just before dawn Aug. 31, 2016, in Cambridge, Mass., after a long illness. He faced the challenges his ailments imposed bravely and with grace. Pete said on many occasions that he was grateful to have a long goodbye. 

After Princeton, Pete earned a master’s degree in science at MIT and spent a year at King’s College in Cambridge, England. 

Subsequently, Pete enjoyed being an aeronautical engineer — initially in helicopter design, then as a civilian at the Pentagon, and later in industry in the defense business.  

He was an avid reader and music lover, an active outdoorsman and sports fan, and a community volunteer. He played and coached rugby into his 50s. He also wrote a long and entertaining autobiography for his family and interested friends. 

Pete believed in “doing more” rather than in “saying more” when it came to almost anything, although he could be a charming raconteur. He was kind but critical, and he was easily amused. He loved being alive.  

Pete’s first wife, Barbara Nelson McDavitt, predeceased him. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Julie R. Ingelfinger; daughter Sarah McDavitt Woods and her husband, Ted; son William McDavitt and his wife, Anya; stepchildren Erich Ingelfinger and his wife, Trina, Franz Ingelfinger and his wife, Cynthia, and Katherine Ingelfinger; 10 grandchildren; and his sister, Edith Lott. The Class of 1956 extends its condolences to them all.