William T. Black Jr. ’53

Bill was born in Mount Holly, N.J., and graduated from Trinity School in New York City before coming to Princeton. He was a member of Terrace Club and majored in geology, writing his thesis on the “Miocene Sands of South Jersey.” 

He was drafted six months after graduation and spent most of the next two years in Germany. Discharged in Germany, he spent a year studying geology at the University of Vienna and then spent several years exploring for oil in Venezuela and Colombia. 

Returning to the United States, Bill became involved in data processing and technology and eventually formed his own company to manufacture copper and fiber-optic computer cables. 

Bill died Feb. 19, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Susan; five children; 12 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.