Robert Francis Patrick Cronin ’47

A renowned cardiologist and dean of the McGill School of Medicine in Montreal, Pat was born in England, son of doctor and author A.J. Cronin.

At the outbreak of World War II, Pat’s family moved to Greenwich, Conn., and after prep school, Pat entered Princeton with 1947. After a brief stay with us he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. Following his service he went on to complete his medical studies.

Unlike many of his premed classmates, Pat did not qualify for a Princeton degree because he lacked a sufficient number of terms of study due to his early service with the RCAF. Thus, in his later years, acquiring an undergraduate degree became a cause célèbre with him. Through tenacious effort he reached the ear of Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel, who arranged for him to return to campus for a semester, write a thesis, and receive his bachelor’s degree. This achievement in 2000 earned mention in the Guinness Book of Records as being the longest time between college entrance and awarding of a degree.

Pat died Jan. 13, 2007, in Montreux, Switzerland. To his wife, Sis; their children, David, Diana, and Daphne; and five grandchildren, the class expresses great admiration for our distinguished classmate and love and sympathy on their loss.