William R. Crosbie ’45

Bill died Oct. 21, 2013.

He entered Princeton from Suffield Academy after his parents moved to Massachusetts from Cuba, where Bill was born and raised. He was fluent in Spanish when he entered Princeton, so it was natural that he majored in modern languages.

His World War II service in the European theater, where he saw combat, was as an Army demolition expert. After the war, he returned to Princeton, joined Key and Seal, and received his degree in 1948, the same year he married Mary Ann Hazelton.

Bill earned an MBA from NYU and a law degree from New York Law School. He specialized in representing Cuban-American companies until they were expropriated by Castro in 1960. He then joined Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co. in New York, where he spent his career in banking.

Bill was active in Tarrytown, N.Y., serving as village justice for almost two decades. In addition to his Tarrytown activities, Bill remained in the New York National Guard retiring as a brigadier general in its Reserve.

Mary predeceased Bill, who is survived by his six daughters, 15 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. The class expresses its sympathy to the family.