William Arthur Westlake ’47

He married Ruth Koop in 1947. They had two children before their divorce. In 1960 he married Shirley, and they had two children.

In our 40th yearbook, Bill celebrated his retirement from the “high intensity” of corporate life: “no more travel, no more corporate politics” — lots more time to enjoy his four grown children plus a brand-new granddaughter, and, especially, more time with Shirley.

They moved to Sarasota, Fla. Bill became active in Habitat for Humanity and the Princeton Club of Sarasota, serving as its president for four years.

Bill’s Princeton education remained an important part of his life. “It helped me mature,” he wrote, adding that it “honed my thought processes” and provided “a set of values and intellectual standards.” As a result, “I am still learning and rethinking, and for this I am deeply grateful,” he wrote.

Above all, Bill’s enjoyment of his loving family made him feel that he was, in a non-material way, “the wealthiest man on earth.”

He died April 8, 2008. We extend very warm wishes to Shirley, the children, and grandchildren.