Vernon Stanton Jr. ’55

Vern died June 14, 2024, in Jupiter, Fla. He was one of those classmates whose life embraced a remarkable roster of interests, from pursuing new entries to his Life List of birds to fixing the exhaust pipe on his VW bus with a piece of discarded gutter.

Vern was born July 17, 1933, in Philadelphia. He graduated as valedictorian from Lower Merion High School, where he rowed crew and worked on the yearbook.

At Princeton, Vern majored in history and joined Quadrangle Club. He participated in freshman crew and IAA softball and football. He was also chairman of the Bric-a-Brac and active on the Freshman Advisory Council and Campus Fund Drive. His senior-year roommates were Brinley Owen, Gary Nash, Bob Watson, Robert R. Brown, and George McClure ’56.

Vern served in the Navy for two years between Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He spent his entire career at Drinker, Biddle & Reath, serving as managing partner before retiring.

Vern’s interests were all over the place. He was a devoted outdoorsman with a focus on whitewater canoeing and backpacking, founder with his wife of a day hike that continued for 30 years, devotee of bike riding, avid reader who pursued new topics and authors, and founder of the Good News Paper, a semi-regular publication that featured offbeat news items, favorite obituaries, photos of animals, and other tidbits that appealed to his quirky sense of humor. Plus, he was well versed in car repair, woodworking, electrical wiring, and plumbing. He could fix something with what was at hand.

Vern was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Betsy; and son Jeffrey. He is survived by three children, Kathryn ’80, Janet, and Roger; and nine grandchildren.