William P. Phillips ’42

Bill died Sept. 23, 2014, at his home in Maryland.

Born Sept. 22, 1920, Bill prepared for Princeton at the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J. At Princeton, he majored in economics and belonged to Charter Club.

In 1942, Bill married Polly Lee Insley. After graduating from Princeton, Bill served in the Navy in the Pacific theater aboard the aircraft carriers Saratoga, Lexington, and Yorktown, rising to the rank of lieutenant. While onboard the Yorktown, his carrier battle group was tasked with supporting a possible invasion of mainland Japan. He later recalled kamikaze attacks on his carrier battle group before the war’s end. While serving in the South Pacific, his unit received three presidential citations.

After the war, Bill joined the family business, J.R. Phillips Jr. and Sons Inc., of Berlin, Md. He acted as its secretary/treasurer until 1970. Bill also served on a variety of commercial and civic boards, including the Calvin B. Taylor Bank, the Peninsula General Hospital board, and the zoning-appeals board.

His wife, Polly; and sons Lee Richard ’65 and William predeceased him. The class extends deep sympathy to Bill’s family and friends.