Walter H. Close ’37

PATIENT, EVER CHEERFUL Pres. Walt Close died Dec. 4, 1991, after a short illness complicated by a stroke. He leaves his wife of 50 years standing, Betty; two daughters (Valerie predeceased him); and six grandchildren.

At the Hill Walt was on the football squad and preeminent on the baseball team, but at Princeton he turned to soccer and was a member of the championship team senior year. He was also on the freshman baseball team and a member of Quad. He majored in economics.

After three years with TWA. and Pan American, in a sales capacity, Walt entered the Navy as an ensign, ending as a lieutenant commander four and half years later. After working with a small wire rope company in Virginia, he moved to the Scarsdale company of Worth Steel. He then became manager and sales engineer of Alcoa's branch office in White Plains for 12 years. When asked to move to Switzerland, he went with the Sherman Car Wash Equipment Company, for ten years selling and installing equipment all over the world, in addition to 200 locations in the U.S. and Canada. In 1960 he and Dick Hebard were senior platform tennis national doubles champions. Retiring in 1977, Walt kept busy as president of his church consistory and of the Fox Meadow Tennis Club, and by traveling in the U.S., usually with Betty. His main interest, however, was working untiringly for the Class and Princeton, for which he won the Harold Helm award in 1988.

To Betty and the family we send deepest condolences. We remember fondly how Walt ended all his letters: "Here's to the Great Class of 1937."

The Class of 1937