William Elfers ’41

Bill died of a heart attack while vacationing in Oysterville, Wash., June 21, 2005.

A Hotchkiss graduate, Bill was a member of Princeton's freshman 150-pound crew and varsity badminton teams, and joined Whig-Clio and Cloister Inn. He majored in history, achieving high honors. His roommates were Bruenner, Hixson, and Ritter.

Bill received an MBA from Harvard and served in World War II as a Navy lieutenant. He then began his venture capital career with American Research and Development before founding his own firm, Greylock, in 1965.

Bill supported many Princeton activities. He established the Herman Elfers Collection of Ralph Waldo Emerson at the University library. As a director of the Sherman Fairchild Foundation, Bill secured significant funding for the molecular biology center. He was a trustee and treasurer of the Hotchkiss School, which named him Alumnus of the Year in 1979. In Boston he was a trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts and of Northeastern University, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1989. In 2003 he received the Alumni Achievement Award from Harvard Business School.

Ann, his wife of 60 years, son William '71, and daughter Jane were with Bill when he died. A daughter, Joanne, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild also survive him.

The Class of 1941