S. Morton Cooley Jr. ’44 *53

One of four from our class to transfer to the Naval Academy near the start of World War II, Mort died Feb. 14, 2005, in Palm Coast, Fla. He was 83 and retired as a rear admiral after 33 years of Navy service, including World War II and the Korean conflict.

Trained also as an aviator, his tours included time as executive officer on the USS Guadalcanal, commander of the USS Wasp, command posts with NATO, staff member of the Joint Chiefs in the Pentagon, and commander of Naval Air Patrol Wings in the Pacific.

Born in Kingston, Pa., Mort prepped at Nichols School in Buffalo. He was on our freshman swimming team. After the war, he returned to Princeton for a master's degree in aeronautical engineering, which he earned in 1953. He attended our 50th reunion.

In retirement, he wrote specialized Navy training manuals, and was a member of the Gideons International, the Lutheran Church, the Navy League, the Association of Naval Aviators, the Businessmen's Fellowship, and the Flagler County [Fla.] Orchid Society. He was buried with full military honors and a fly-over.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Izola Cooley, to whom the class extends its sincere sympathy.

The Class of 1944