Stephen McNamara ’55

Steve was an adventurous soul who died Nov. 24, 2025, in Mill Valley, Calif. His grandfather was Robert C. McNamara 1903, and his father, Robert C. McNamara Jr. 1929. Steve was the secretary of his class since 2021. His family’s scholarship fund, the R.C. McNamara 1903 Scholarship, assisted more than 450 students through Princeton.

Steve attended University High School in Urbana, Ill., and at Princeton joined Cap and Gown, majored in history, and was publicity manager of the Triangle Club.

Steve leaned firmly toward adventure: In high school he hitch-hiked through a blizzard from New York City to Chicago. In college he climbed El Popocatepetl with no training or equipment, created a House Parties Weekend bike race from Vassar to Princeton, befriended one of the world’s greatest race car drivers, Stirling Moss, hung out with Bruce McLaren, and was once banned from Cuba because he reported on too many dead spectators at the 1956 Grand Prix of Havana. He started a computer software company, Sunlight Software, and a newspaper printing company, Marin Sun Printing.

Steve started a lifetime career in journalism with no experience, taught the subject at San Francisco State University, created two newspapers: the Pacific Sun serving notable San Francisco suburbs and led the revival of the prize-winning San Quentin News inside California’s oldest state prison.

But Steve’s greatest success came on Sept. 22, 1976, when he encountered Kay Copeland, who enabled their married life for half a century and supported adventurous lives for their family. He is survived by Kay and the children: Lise, Natalie, Kevin, Chris ’01, Morgan ’03, and Marisa Rodriguez Peake; and eight grandchildren. Each have their unique life endeavors, and they are all richer for not traipsing down a straight and narrow path. Steve recommends it.