Robert Walter Ristau ’47

BOB DIED suddenly of a heart attack Apr. 3, 1993 in Quakerstown, Penn., where he made his home. At Princeton, he majored in electrical engineering. It was to that field that he devoted his working life, at first with instrument manufacturing firms, but later, he worked for many years with Grumman Aerospace. There he was active in the development of Gulfstream I and Gulfstream II, executive aircraft that are owned by countless corporations worldwide. In 1971, he joined Grumman'ss sales group From Grumman, he moved on to other corporations requiring his engineering skills: Falcon jet Rockwell Intl., and Midway Avionics (his last post before retirement).

Bob's record of employment tells us that he was valued in his profession and deeply engaged in it. But engineering and aeronautics were not his only enthusiasms. He was one of the keenest fans of football in our class and even, it seems likely, in the entire body of alumni. After graduation he attended some 300 Princeton gamessurely a record for '47, but who in other classes can match it? The sketch of his life that he prepared for our 25th reunion book beginsfirst things first!with an entertaining account of his strenuous effort to get to Palmer Stadium from Canberra, Australia, on Nov. 19, 1965, in time for the Dartmouth game on the 20th. Thanks to Quantas, American Airlines, the Boeing 707, and the international dateline, he made the kickoff, but alas, Dartmouth won.

Bob was also a jazz buff He was a past president of the Traditional jazz Society of Connecticut and at the time of his death was music chairman of the Pennsylvania jazz Society.

Palmer Stadium will seem a different place without Bob. To his widow, Muriel, and his stepsons Scott, Robert, Thomas, and David King, we extend our profound sympathy.

The Class of 1947