Wade Fairchild ’49

Wade died at home in Scottsdale on Mar. 6, 1998, surrounded by members of his immediate family. He was 75. He prepared for Princeton at Glen Ridge H.S. in Orange, N.J. He served as a naval aviator in the Pacific from July 1942 until Nov. 1945 with the rank of lieutenant (j.g.). At Princeton he majored in English and humanities, graduating with high honors. He worked for the Tiger and was a member of Cap and Gown Club. Wade married Jean Braekenridge in 1943, and they had three children. They later divorced.

Following Princeton, Wade worked for Fairchild Publications, Inc. as publisher of Electronic News and Metalworking News. In 1963 he moved to Scottsdale, remarried, and had two more children, and was president of Fairchild Aeromaps, Inc., taking aerial pictures of the growing area. He again divorced, and a third marriage also ended in divorce. He was a talented artist who founded the Scottsdale Artists' School.

Wade was one of those smart, gregarious, funny colleagues we are lucky to meet along life's path. He is survived by one son, Peter, five daughters, Carol, Nancy, Mary, Anne, and Elizabeth, two sisters, and eight grandchildren. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to all of them.

The Class of 1949