Whitman Ridgway ’39

A third-generation Princetonian, Whit died Feb. 19, 1995, at his home in Schenectady, N.Y. There, he had been associated with GE since receiving his M.S. in electrical engineering in 1940. For a time after his war service as a naval officer, GE assigned him to San Francisco, but in 1960, he returned to Schenectady as marketing manager for GE's gas turbine department. In 1971 became a v.p. Under his leadership, gas turbines became a major source of profits for GE. He retired in 1976, only to be called to serve as chief of the Bureau of Power, Federal Power Commission in Washington, D.C. He was active in professional associations and a leader in community work. Whit cherished his Princeton heritage, always looking forward to his annual midwinter reunion with six '39ers at Mill Reef Club on Antigua.

Whit and Marjorie Hunt married in 1955. He had two children from a previous marriage, Whitman Jr. and Priscilla, and stepdaughters, Marjorie Manning and Kathryn Gorman. We join with them in gratitude for the good life he shared with us all.

The Class of 1939