Sanford S. Zeller ’65

Skip, a larger-than-life character whose warmth spread through every gathering he attended, from Reunions to motorcycle tours and racing events, died suddenly Aug. 25, 2010, waiting to take one of his beloved Corvettes in for service.  

Skip came to Princeton from the Nichols School in Buffalo, N.Y. He roomed with Todd Cochran, John Metzger, Dave Lindenfeld, Dick Brown, Mil Kime, and Don Bobo ’67. He was a member of Elm Club, an enthusiastic participant in club hockey, and majored in mechanical and aerospace engineering. He later acquired a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue.  

In the Bay Area, he met Carol, his wife of 37 years, and rose to chief engineer at the Port of San Francisco, developing an encyclopedic knowledge of the waterfront and its history. Skip and Carol shared a famously dry sense of humor, a generous spirit, and a passion for motorcycles and Corvettes. He drove cross country on his Harley to lead the P-rade for our 35th and in his orange and black 2005 Corvette to lead our 40th. That out of his system, he and Carol flew to our 45th in 2010.  

Skip is survived by Carol; son Jeff; daughter Julie; two grandchildren; a sister; and his brother, Robert ’59. The class extends sympathy to the family.