Theodore E. McAlister ’52

Ted, always a Texan, came from Abilene High School to major in modern languages and eat at Terrace. He was active in many student organizations, including editor of the Bric-a-Brac, Chapel Choir, and manager of the student directory. He roomed with Dick Riordan.

At Columbia, he earned a master’s degree in public law and government. His career was in real estate sales and management, sometimes bringing him to New York, where classmates would see him at the Princeton Club. Ted did not marry, although for a time he was friends with Gwenne Chrysler Garbisch, of whom he often spoke.

His activity in community organizations was large, including the Episcopal Church, but his towering obsession was recruiting young Texans, many of them Hispanic, for Princeton. Recruiting more than 300 students, he was a darling of the Admissions Committee, and was given a University award for his efforts.

An expectable face at Reunions, Ted was always ready to talk — and to listen — to anyone. Near the end of his life, he lived in the guest cottage of one of his recruits. He died Oct. 6, 2022, in Fort Worth. Many of us recall him with a smile.