Willard Beuren Van King ’28

VAN BEUREN KING died May 25, 1991, in Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, following a stroke. The evening before he was stricken, he and his wife had dinner at the home of Betty and Charlie Caspari, a classmate, and they went together to a concert. Van was on the board of the St. Louis Symphony.

Van prepared for college at Lawrenceville, At Princeton he was a member of Key and Seal club. He left after two years.

Van was greatly interested in aviation, and was among the first civilians to receive a pilot's license. He performed as a barnstormer at fairs and at farm communities in New England. He then worked for a canning company in Cuba in 1936. He moved to Alton, Ill., in 1938 and worked for Western Cartridge Co. In 1947 he went to St. Louis and was in the insurance business with National Aviation Underwriters. He left this business in 1962 and formed KingKratz Corporation, which manufactured chlorinators for swimming pools. He sold this company to Airwick Industries when he retired in 1975.

Van married Frances (familiarly known as Fauvette) Lewis on Oct. 16, 1945. She survives him, as do two daughters, Kristina and Victoria, and two stepsons, John Holmes and Fielding Holmes. Van maintained his interest in Princeton, and attended our 60th reunion in 1988. The deep sympathy of the Class is extended to Frances and the family.

The Class of 1928