William J. Salman ’55

Bill, whose careers ranged from the shipping business to ranching and then to retail and online plant sales, died Aug. 12, 2023, at his home in Santa Fe, N.M.

Bill was born in Houston Dec. 19, 1933, and graduated from Las Vegas (N.M.) High School. At Princeton, he majored in economics and joined Terrace Club. He engaged in IAA football, tennis, squash, and volleyball. His special interest was photography. His senior year roommates were Barry Savits and Ken Lewis.

After graduation he served two years in the Army, then joined the family shipping companies. When the companies were sold in 1973, he co-managed with his brother David Salman ’58 a 32,000-acre cattle ranch in New Mexico. Much of the ranch was sold but 2,500 acres were retained and formed the basis of Santa Fe Greenhouses, a retail plant nursery in Santa Fe that sells plants and bulbs nationally.

Bill was a leader on the Houston Council on Human Relations with special interest in passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, fair housing, and police/community relations. He was a board member and treasurer of the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe, and was a patron of the Princeton University Art Museum’s photography collection. He was also a supporter of organizations that protect the environment and wild animals, and that foster humane treatment of domestic animals and water conservation.

Bill was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Marjorie. He is survived by sons David and Michael, two grandsons, and one great-grandson.