William P. Curtis ’69

Bill died April 23, 2024, at home in Washington, D.C., following a five-year battle with interstitial lung disease.

Growing up in Silver Spring, Md., Bill was passionate about politics and foreign policy. He followed his father, Donald W. Curtis *42, to Princeton. Bill left in 1968 to enlist in the Navy and worked at Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign headquarters, first as a volunteer and then as a staff member. Following two tours in Vietnam, Bill completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in economics at Berkeley.

An economist and analyst in the Office of Management and Budget during seven White House administrations, Bill was considered a sharp number cruncher and expert on the federal budget by colleagues and staff at other agencies, but also was valued for his collegiality and humor. He was passionate about basketball, playing in and organizing pickup games until illness took its toll.

His talent for numbers extended to analyzing basketball results, and March Madness was a highlight of his year. Bill was a voracious reader and arts enthusiast. A self-taught painter, he had planned to devote his retirement to this hobby. Living for many years in Alexandria, Va., Bill and his wife, Peggy Morrison Curtis, also spent time on Deer Isle, Maine.

In addition to Peggy, Bill is survived by his daughter Lisa and her family, and siblings Rich and Janet. The Class of 1969 sends all of them our sincere condolences.