Richard Hutchinson Willis ’55

Dick, an avid traveler and athlete, died June 26, 2021, at Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, Mass. 

He was born Oct. 2, 1932, in Boston and graduated from Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Mass. There he was involved in student government, football, crew, wrestling, dramatics, publications, and the glee club.

At Princeton Dick joined Elm Club and majored in German and history and the Special Program in European Civilization. He participated in freshman 150-pound crew, IAA hockey, the Westminster Fellowship, Theatre Intime, and the Outing Club. Senior-year roommates were Henry King and Rollin Otto. 

After graduation he served in the Army and embarked on a career in finance and private banking in Boston. Dick lived life to the fullest. He enjoyed marathon running, downhill skiing, and cycling; climbed all of New England’s 4,000-footers; and took frequent long walks along the Charles River. He was a lifetime member of the Country Club in Brookline and was a benefactor of many local philanthropic organizations dedicated to the arts, historic preservation, and education. 

Asked for the class’s 50th-reunion yearbook what surprised him at Princeton, Dick wrote, “Lending a comb to Albert Einstein. Mother being propositioned at graduation. Doing the Charleston with Mrs. Dodds.” 

Dick is survived by a sister, Nancy Willis Pendleton.