Thomas Baird Bissett ’49

THE CLASS LOST a standout member and its thirdoldest classmate when Tom Bissett died of cardiac arrest at age 71 while scuba diving with his wife, Edith, in New Guinea May 31, 1990. Born Dec. 15, 1918, at Parry Sound, Canada, Tom prepared for college at Santa Ana Polytechnic H.S., Santa Ana, Calif. Following high school he attended Santa Ana junior College, then served as a lieutenant in the Navy in the Pacific Theater from Feb. 1942 to July 1947. Transferring to Princeton in Sept. 1947, he majored in electrical engineering and graduated with highest honors. Tom won the American Inst. of Electrical Engineers prize for its Princeton chapter, and was elected to Sigma Yj Society. He was the technical director for the Campus Recording Service.

Tom married Edith Whittier Holmes in 1946. After graduation, he earned his master's at Stanford and joined Hughes Aircraft, working on control systems projects, before switching to Ramo Wooldridge Corp. Five years later he formed the BissettBerman Corp. After selling the company in 1974, and two years of consulting, Tom retired to enjoy life. He kept busy with various projects, plus sailing, skiing, and in the last few years, golf. In addition to his widow, Edith; son, Thomas; and daughter, Barbara; Tom is survived by three grandchildren. To all Tom's family, the Class extends its utmost sympathy at the loss of this very special man.

The Class of 1949