David died on April 14, 2016, at age 61. He entered Princeton with the Class of 1976 but graduated with us in 1975 with a degree in chemical engineering. He headed to Boston that fall, where he started at Harvard Business School and met Marianne, whom he married in June 1976.

David considered his three years at Princeton some of the happiest times of his life, when he rowed lightweight crew and made many lifelong friends. He was pleased that both his son and his daughter graduated from Princeton, as well. He remained active with the PAA of Fairfield County, Conn., and in 2010 received the University’s Jerry Horton Award for his work on behalf of Annual Giving.

Following his retirement from Olin Corporation as VP of Planning and Development, David worked for Sealed Air Corporation as Executive Director of Mergers and Acquisitions, for Elevance Renewable Sciences, and as an independent management consultant, principal, senior advisor, managing director, and board member of various firms.

David’s friends recalled both his brilliance and his natural athletic ability that, despite no previous rowing experience, earned his way into the varsity boat for two years. They continued to marvel that he had accelerated his coursework to graduate in three years with honors in one of the University’s most demanding majors, while also participating fully in a time-consuming varsity sport.

Friends also remembered his exceptionally generous and modest nature. Many people did not know he was the first person to donate bone marrow to an unrelated recipient in the National Marrow Donor Program at the University of Connecticut’s Transplant Center, at the time one of only three transplant centers in New England.

David had a shining intellect and a kind and gentle nature. He was accomplished and knowledgeable, with a stellar sense of humor and a quiet wit. He held himself to the highest ideals and approached his last days with extraordinary grace, equanimity, and fortitude. He was composed, resolute, and philosophical throughout his illness and his life. As his former roommate Thomas Wells ’76 put it, “David succeeded in everything that matters. It was a privilege to be his friend.”

David’s many Princeton friends share this loss with Marianne and their son and daughter, Matt ’05 and Elizabeth ’08.

Class Year: 
Undergraduate Class of 1975