Roderick S. Oakley Jr. ’59

Rick died of lung cancer at his home in Natick, Mass., on Aug. 4, 2001.

Born in NYC, Rick attended Kent School. He entered Princeton preceded by two generations of Princetonians: his father, Roderick S. '31; both grandfathers, S. Hinman Bird '06 and Edward A. Oakley '07; and two uncles, Llewellyn E. Oakley '31 and LaBar P. Hoagland '39.

At Princeton, Rick roomed with Nick Hamilton, majored in English, and was a member of Dial Lodge.

Following graduation, he married Karen Melahn, entered Navy OCS, and served three years as an airborne combat information officer, operating out of Argentia, Newfoundland.

In 1963 Rick joined Acoustic Research, Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., as a service manager, moving in 1968 to the Michael Scott Co. of Wellesley, Mass., as an electronic manufacturer's representative. In 1978 he and Karen opened Electric Gramophone, in Sudbury, Mass., the only totally classical record store in New England.

Rick is survived by Karen, his wife of 41 years; his children, John R., Douglas C., Kim H., and Laura O. Sullivan; and three grandsons, to all of whom the class extends its deepest sympathy.

The Class of 1959