Stephen Crane ’63

Steve died in his sleep June 27, 2019, in Seattle. An exemplar of determination and courage, he worked passionately on global health issues affecting underserved populations.

He graduated from Walnut Hills (Ohio) High School. At Princeton he belonged to the undergraduate council, Glee Club, and Colonial Club, and began lifelong friendships with the 231 Club roommates: Hughes, Lucas, Patterson, Rediker, Revelle, and Hilton Smith. After two years he transferred to Stanford, then went to graduate school at Johns Hopkins.

At 13 Steve contracted polio, which permanently limited his left leg but not his vitality. He waterskied, biked, rode horses, hiked, traveled, and loved nothing more than sailing, even when a wheelchair became necessary.

He worked for large corporations and Washington governor John Spellman before founding an international-relations consultancy dedicated to social causes. In Seattle he was a hard-working member of Rotary International’s mission to eradicate polio. Up to his death he was working with Rotary and the Gates Foundation to end malaria worldwide.

Steve, he of the booming laugh, was the biggest fan of everyone else. Surviving are daughters Elizabeth and Sarah, son Paul, two granddaughters, and brothers Bradford ’58 and Robert.