Ronald C. Fondiller ’73

Ron died March 7, 2018, following a long and valiant fight with cancer. He was born in New York City and raised both there and in Jamaica, where his maternal grandfather, Sir Clifford Campbell, a public advocate of Jamaican independence, served as that country’s first post-colonial governor general.

Ron came to Princeton from the George School and lived in Wilson College. At Princeton he majored in history and served as the editorial editor of The Daily Princetonian. There, as elsewhere, his eloquence was admired by all who knew the gentle, funny, and loving soul he was. He loved to quote poetry, from Chaucer and Shakespeare to T.S. Eliot.

Upon graduation, Ron earned advanced degrees from Cambridge University (England) and NYU Law School. Fluent in several languages, he worked at the United Nations, where he translated Russian, French, and Chinese to English. He was senior vice president and general counsel of Constellation Brands in Rochester, N.Y., for 22 years.

Ron was a man of deep faith, a lifelong Anglican/Episcopalian and an active member of his church. He generously donated wine to our class reunions and regaled us with his demonstration of how to open a bottle of champagne with a saber.

Ron is survived by his wife, Jane; son David; and his mother, Fay.