Samuel A. Bowman III ’59

Sam died April 13, 2016, in New York City, after a lengthy battle with cancer — an engagement that, in his quotidian affairs, he tended largely to dismiss.  

Born in Springfield, Ohio, the location of a vast and cherished family farm, he ventured eastward to Exeter before coming to Princeton, where his father had preceded him in the Class of 1916. Once settled on campus he majored in English, joined Cottage Club, and participated in Right Wing Club activities. 

After graduation, Sam embarked on a distinguished investment career, ultimately serving as a senior vice president at Ingalls & Snyder. His clients were his friends, and he found fulfillment in their trust in him and in his ability to reward that trust. 

In a moving encomium at his memorial service, his close friend, classmate, and clubmate Stu White noted that Sam, an English major, felt that Cottage Club had long neglected its most famous (and infamous) son, F. Scott Fitzgerald 1917. Sam commissioned a sculptor to craft a bronze plaque of the author at his desk, pen in hand, which is now situated in the Cottage courtyard. 

Sam is survived by his wife, Grace; sister Julie; half-sister Gail; and numerous stepchildren, nieces, and nephews. We have sent condolences.