William S. P. Breese ’36

Bill died June 1, 2002; he was 87. A graduate of Exeter, he majored in history at Princeton, rowed, and was a member of Cloister Inn.

From graduation until 1941, Bill worked in NYC for Johnson and Higgins, an insurance brokerage firm. During WWII, he was a field artillery officer and finished active duty as a major. Bill served in the 2nd Armored Division from its formation in the US, through its service in Africa and Europe, to its occupation of Berlin. He was awarded the Silver and Bronze stars, and the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

He graduated from Yale Law School in 1948 and became associated in NYC with Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller. In 1950 he joined the Johns Manville Corp. in NYC, and later worked in Denver in foreign and international law as associate general counsel. He retired in 1979. He was a member of the New York and Colorado bar associations.

In 1942 he married Arlene von Sternberg, a French language teacher. She died in 1991. For many years the couple and their children, William Jr. '69, Georgianna, and Richard, lived in Pleasantville, N.Y. Arlene and Bill are survived by their children, and by grandsons Brad, Benjamin, and Glen Herold.

TheClass of 1936