Roger L. Barron ’55

Roger, whose life was strikingly varied and successful, died peacefully at his family farm in Green County, Va., Dec. 28, 2021. Before Princeton he was home-schooled, then graduated at the top of his class at Fairfax High School where he ran track, edited the school newspaper, won the Virginia state championship in debate, and set national records in his model aviation hobby. 

At Princeton he joined Prospect Club, majored in aeronautical engineering, edited the Princeton Engineer, was active in IAA dorm football and club basketball and track, and graduated with honors. He went on to study at Cambridge University on a National Science Foundation fellowship and later at MIT. 

The focus of his life was on his inventions and companies he founded in “flight trajectory optimization and adaptive flight control.” In other words, if something causes an airplane or rocket to vary from its intended course, his software enables it to return to its intended path. These “learning networks” 25 years ago were precursors of what today is called artificial intelligence. 

Roger also continued distance running, winning more than two dozen medals in Virginia and Florida senior games, and twice representing Virginia in the National Senior Olympics. 

Roger once described his life as “challenging, rewarding, and joyful.” He is survived by his wife, Gayle; children Rowena, Andrew, Jenifer, and David; 13 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.