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Memorials 2008John J. F. (Jay) Sherrerd '52 died in Bryn Mawr, PA on April 9., 2008 At Princeton he majored in Economics and was a member of Charter Club.The following obituary is from the Philadelphia Inquirer for April 11, 2008. John J.F. 'Jay' Sherrerd, 78, investor and benefactor John J.F. "Jay" Sherrerd, 78, cofounder of the investment firm Miller, Anderson & Sherrerd and a benefactor to educational institutions, died at his Bryn Mawr home Wednesday of a brain tumor.In 1956, Mr. Sherrerd was working for Philadelphia National Bank when he was recruited to join Drexel Investment Co. by Paul F. Miller. The two men left Drexel in 1969 and with Clay J. Anderson Jr. established Miller, Anderson & Sherrerd, an investment firm in Conshohocken that specialized in managing pension and endowment funds. The firm grew from nothing, Miller said, to having $35 billion in assets when it was sold to Morgan Stanley in 1996. "Jay was a good salesman," Miller said, "but more importantly, he was always an optimist. If I started to worry he would say, 'We can get it done.' He was always encouraging and positive." "He was the most rational person I know," said John C. "Jack" Bogle, a friend, brother-in-law, and founder of the Vanguard Group. "Jay would think things through and not get swept up with the crowd." In 1972, Mr. Sherrerd told an investment seminar, "Do your homework and zero in on the best opportunities." He was a careful gambler, his daughter Anne said. He would buy stocks in companies that he considered well-managed and financially sound that nobody else wanted, she said, and often invested in a company when it was receiving negative press attention. On trips to Las Vegas casinos, he liked playing craps because the odds were better than for other games and he could strategize, she said. Mr. Sherrerd grew up in Merion. He attended Episcopal Academy from kindergarten through 10th grade and graduated from the Hill School in Pottstown. He earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 1952. During the Korean War, he served in the Army artillery in Korea. After his discharge, he earned a master's degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1956, he married Kathleen Compton. The couple raised three children. A proud Princetonian, Mr. Sherrerd never missed a class reunion in 55 years, his daughter said. His car license plate read "JAY 52." He supported Princeton sports teams and over the last 20 years became an avid Princeton lacrosse fan. In the late 1990s, he was instrumental in funding Princeton's Class of 1952 Stadium, where the lacrosse team plays. He served on Princeton's board of trustees for 20 years; was a longtime member of the Annual Giving Committee; cochaired the Development Leadership Committee; and was past director of the Princeton Investment Co. (Princo). "His leadership and generosity strengthened Princeton in countless ways. He was a Tiger of the finest stripe," said the university's president, Shirley M. Tilghman. He took great pride in his advocacy of Princeton's decision in 2001 to eliminate loans from financial aid packages, his daughter said. His belief that excellent education should be available to anyone willing to work hard led to his donation of $1 million in 2000 to Gesu School, a Jesuit-run elementary school in North Philadelphia. He was a trustee at the school and served on its investment and capital campaign committees. Mr. Sherrerd was also involved with other schools with family connections. He chaired the investment committee of Smith College, his wife's alma mater, for 23 years; served on the board of the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, where his daughters graduated; and served on the Board of Overseers of the Wharton School. He chaired his 50th Reunion Gift Fund Committee at Episcopal Academy in 1997 and was named Distinguished Alumnus that year. Since 2005 he had served as cochairman of the capital campaign at Episcopal Academy. "In recent years no person gave more of his time, treasure and talent to Episcopal," said Hamilton Clark, the head of the school. He was particularly skilled at persuasive solicitations for large gifts, his daughter said. He preferred to give anonymously himself, she said, but if his example would encourage others to give, he would allow his name to be used. He and Bogle played table tennis in their youth in Mr. Sherrerd's basement. A bystander was Mr. Sherrerd's little sister, Eve, who married Bogle in 1956. Mr. Sherrerd and Bogle later took up tennis, and in recent years were squash partners. In addition to his daughter and sister, Mr. Sherrerd is survived by a son, Jay; a daughter, Susan; and six grandchildren. His wife died in 2005. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. April 19 at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 629 Montgomery Ave., Bryn Mawr. Donations may be made to the John J.F. Sherrerd Memorial Scholarship Fund, Gesu School, 1700 W. Thompson St., Philadelphia, 19121.  W. Laird Stabler, Jr. '52 died on February 2, 2008. At Princeton he was a History major and a member of Ivy Club. Laird is survived by his wife Margaretta (Peg) three children and ten grandchildren.An abridged memorial from Delaware On Line is shown below. For more than 40 years, W. Laird Stabler Jr. worked as an elected leader, a Republican Party leader and a community leader, the kind of public servant that's becoming too rare, say friends who mourned his death Sunday morning. Stabler died at age 77 after a long battle with oral cancer. It is telling that Stabler's friends had trouble thinking of a funny or moving anecdote that would summarize Stabler's life. He didn't make his mark with grand gestures, spotlight moments or flashes of political maneuvering, they said. Instead, he worked diligently to make the political system run smoothly and with integrity, they said. Stabler was born in 1930 in Nashville, Tenn., and moved with his family to Seaford when he was 9. He went to school in Seaford until 1944, then attended Cranbrook School, a private school near Detroit. He graduated from Princeton University in 1952 and from the University of Virginia Law School in 1954. He returned to Delaware to practice law, first with the firm of Potter Anderson & Corroon and later in his own firm. Stabler was appointed a deputy attorney general in 1961 and elected to the state House of Representatives in 1965. Stabler served as majority leader during his second term, then ran for state attorney general in 1970 and won. He later became U.S. Attorney for Delaware. When Stabler was in his late 40s, he was diagnosed with coronary artery disease, his family said. The condition meant his heart couldn't take the stress of running for high political office. His political aspirations had to take a back seat to his health problems, they said. He stayed active in party politics, and fellow Republicans elected him national committeeman for Delaware in 1985. He served in that job until 2005. The post took him to the party's inner circles, friends said, and Stabler led the Delaware presidential campaigns of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Stabler and his wife, Peg, got involved in a variety of non-profit organizations, including the Blood Bank of Delmarva and Delaware Hospice. He was chieftain of the Scottish Games of Delaware and a member or leader of several social clubs. In 2005, doctors diagnosed Stabler with oral cancer. He underwent two surgeries that year, and his cancer seemed to be in remission, Stabler's cancer returned last year. Friends said Stabler represented a better time in politics. "He was perhaps from a time of great decency," Castle said. "You hear or read about the political shenanigans that go on today, and here you have a guy who just didn't participate in those things. He was as good as they get." Alumni Records has told us that Paul R. Schulz '52  died
on December 22, 2008. At Princeton he majored in Physics and was a
member of Court Club. We had heard little from Paul for many years and,
in fact, he had asked that the University remove him from its mailing
list. We've heard from Dan Duffield that Brantz Bryan Jr. '52  died in Sarasota. FL, on February 6. Rudy Lehnert has sent us the following on-line obituary: Brantz Mayer Bryan Jr., who parlayed a successful Madison Avenue advertising career into an equally successful career as a restaurateur, died on February 6 in Sarasota, Florida. Mr. Bryan, of Falmouth and Boca Grande, Florida, was 81. The owner of the former Regatta restaurant on Falmouth Harbor and later, the Regatta at Cotuit, Mr. Bryan chanced into a career in the restaurant business after almost two decades in advertising. Fresh out of Princeton University in 1952, he went to work for Doyle Dane Bernbach Inc. in New York. Starting as a mail boy, he left the firm as vice president and supervisor of $19 million in accounts 18 years later. Over the course of those 18 years in advertising, both in New York and Hollywood, he also worked with such agencies as Ted Bates, D?Arcy and Erwin, Wasey. He was vice president in charge of creating several well-known ads for Alka-Seltzer, Gillette Super Stainless, Palmolive Rapid Shave, Colgate Dental Cream, and Friskies dog and cat foods. But over those years, he said he felt that the advertising business had changed, losing the personal contact, the aspect that had drawn him to the field originally, and he missed that connection with people. He began to look for an opportunity to combine his marketing experience and his creativity and felt the hotel/restaurant business was the ticket. His only requirement was that the site be on the water. He traveled to Mexico, Florida, and the Caribbean in search of a site, and then, one day, he contacted his old school chum, Emil D. Tietje, who was living in Falmouth, and came to visit. Mr. Tietje owned the Harbor View Fish Market at the entrance to Falmouth Harbor, and on Mr. Bryan?s visit here, he saw the potential of what was then the Hurricane Deck nearby being operated as a restaurant. Forging a partnership, he, Mr. Tietje and Leo J. Limberakis, owner of the Clam Shack next door, purchased the Hurricane Deck in 1970. When the new restaurant, which was renamed the Regatta, opened that same year, Mr. Bryan described it as a "non-restaurant restaurant.? He explained in an article in The Enterprise that June, "Restaurants and hotels are becoming too big and impersonal. We plan to have one that will be simple and uncomplicated.? Simple and uncomplicated as he intended the restaurant to be, Mr. Bryan will no doubt be remembered as a man whose personality was as colorful as his clothing. Sports jackets in brilliant hues would be coordinated with his accessories; his slacks, embroidered with whales; his socks matching the restaurant?s pink tablecloths. On one occasion, after his return from a tour of the wine country in France in 1983, Mr. Bryan sat down to an interview dressed in slacks that were tailored from wall-hanging fabric. He was born to Marjorie Hanan Bryan and Brantz M. Bryan in Montclair, New Jersey, on September 30, 1927, and grew up in New Jersey. Attending school in Montclair, it was there that he met Emil D. Tietje, and they remained in touch over the years. Mr. Bryan graduated from Millbrook boarding school in New York in 1946, and then enlisted in the US Army, serving as a sergeant during the occupation of Japan. After the service, he entered Princeton University, the fourth generation in his family to do so. He majored in politics and history and earned his bachelor?s degree in 1952. At Princeton, he was a member of the Tower Club. His family had maintained a summer home at East Chop on Martha?s Vineyard for decades; his mother had summered on Martha?s Vineyard since the turn of the last century, and he had summered there since 1928. Mr. Bryan married Wendy Lyn Wile in May 1974 in a ceremony at the Weston home of her parents. During his years in advertising, Mr. Bryan felt that showmanship and illusionism could help in presenting advertising campaigns, and so he studied the craft and became a professional magician. While living in New York, he produced the stage show "Christopher?s Wonders,? featuring the illusion and magic of Milbourne Christopher. Years later, Mr. Bryan would bring that same level of enthusiasm to his restaurant ventures. In 1983, he and his wife, who shared his love for the art of fine food and hospitality, set out on a 31-day business and pleasure trip to France to visit vineyards and restaurants. Following his tour in France, Mr. Bryan incorporated ideas picked up from his visit: sorbets served as a house specialty; French bread without a hard crust and served with sweet butter; a taste trilogy of three small samples comprising one entree; and a new wine room, among other things. In 1973, he purchased the Belvidere motel across the street and renamed it the Regatta Motor Inn, and in the late 1980s, he purchased the Crocker House in Cotuit and ran it as restaurant under the name Regatta of Cotuit. At the time, he said he felt that opening up the Cotuit site would allow him to attract a quality staff by being able to offer year-round employment, in the summer in Falmouth, and then in the off-season in Cotuit.Both Regatta restaurants received high acclaim. The Bryans owned and operated them for 36 years. In addition to his wife, he leaves a daughter, Marjorie Gay Laliberte of Falmouth; and two grandchildren, Emily and Stephen Laliberte, also of Falmouth. A memorial service will be held in July. Donations in his memory may be sent to The Bryan Research Fund, c/o Dr. Glen Bubley, CLS 449, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215; or Dr. Martin Solomon?s M.D. Residency Education Fund, Brigham and Women?s Hospital, 116 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02116. Louis Pierre "Pete" Mathews '52  died
in Stuart, FL on October 31, 2008. He was a new member of Tiger Inn
when he left Princeton after two years. Pete studied banking at Rutgers,
Columbia and the University of Chicago. His career in banking,
largely in his home town of Baltimore, spanned 39 years ending as a
Senior Vice President of Equitable Trust Company. After retiring in
1990, Pete settled in Stuart, FL but kept a home in Baltimore.
Pete is survived by his wife of 53 years, Lee; son Louis P. Jr. '79,
daughters Elizabeth Jack and Katherine Honaker and five grandchildren.Classmate Reed Widen Hartel  died
in Lexington, MA on October 25, 2008. At Princeton he majored in
Electrical Engineering and was a member of Court Club. Reed earned an
MBA from Harvard and had his own firm as a business consultant and
financial planner. He was known for a ready wit and a keen sense of
humor. Reed left three children and two grandchildren. Marshall (Pete) Simonds '52  died
in Morrisville, VT on October 1, 2008. At Princeton, he majored in SPIA
and was a member of Quadrangle Club. After graduation Pete received an
LLB from Harvard Law School and became a litigation partner in the
Boston law firm of Goodwin Procter LLP with whom he practiced for 45
years. He was a fellow of the American College of Trial lawyers and
taught trial skills at Harvard Law School. Pete was devoted to
democratic town governance and was Moderator for the town meeting in
Carlisle, MA for 30 years. Pete had a lifetime dedication to
Labrador retrievers, thirteen of which he trained and competed as field
champions. He was president of several Labrador clubs and a field trial
judge for 40 years. Pete spent increasing time in Vermont, hunting,
fishing and camping and eventualy retired there. Pete leaves his
wife, Katharine, four children and eight grandchildren.Classmate Samuel S. DeCou III  died
in Pittsburgh, PA on October 29, 2008. At Princeton he majored in
Modern Languages (German), was a member of Cloister Inn and was managaer
of the baseball team. After three year in the Army, Sam joined New York
Life with whom he spent 42 years in sales and training. He became a
Chartered Life Underwriter and retired as an Assistant Vice
President. In reirement, Sam was active as Clerk of Session and
elder at the Whitehall United Presbyerian Church. He also sang in the
choir and with the Teutonia Maennerchor, a men's singing
society. Sam leaves his wife, Ursula, three children and three
grandchilden The University reports that David Donn Freeman  died
on May 1, 2008. At Princeton he was a member of Prospect Club and the
NROTC. After three years in the Navy, David earned an MBA and became a
Certified Public Accountant. His career was as a CPA sole practitioner.
David was an active Princeton alumnus. He served on the Schools
Committee for fifteen years and was the first and only treasurer of the
Princeton Alumni Association of Long Island. When his daughter was
undergraduate treasurer of Terrace Club, David unraveled their financial
records and became their Graduate Board Treasurer.David leaves his
wife, Dolores, three children and seven (as of 2002) grandchildren.We've heard from Mary Beth Eakin that her husband James Earl Eakin '52  died
of Alzheimer's disease at their home in Amelia Island, Florida, on
August 11. At Princeton Jim majored in History and was a member of
Terrace Club. After three years in the Navy, he spent 36 years in steel
works management. Besides Mary Beth, Jim leaves three children and seven
grandchildren. One son is Douglas Holtz-Eakin, prominent in this
campaign season as chief economic advisor for the McCain-Palin campaign.
Three of the grandchildren are also grandkids of Dick Kazmaier,
including Tenley Eakin '06, our first class grandchild. Steve Rogers learned from the University of the death of classmate Thomas W. Cook  on
May 28, 2008. At Princeton, Tom majored in Biology as a pre-med and was
a member of Tower Club. He received his MD at Cornell Medical School
and practiced Obstetrics and Gynecology for 38 yers. Tom was a pioneer
in laparoscopic surgery and received numerous awards for his innovative
technique and devotion to teaching.Tom lived in Carlsbad, CA, at the
time of his death. He leaves his wife, Margaret, three children, three
stepchildren and six grandchildren.Don Malehorn spotted an obituary for classmate John H. Pope Jr.  in the Morris County (New Jersey) Daily Record for July 2. John died June 29, 2008. He grew up in Morristown but went to California for law school and practised law in San Jose. The Daily Record notice follows:John N. Pope Jr. died on June 29, 2008, after complications of emphysema and diabetes. He was 78. He was born on Feb. 27, 1930. He graduated Morristown High School, 1948, Princeton University, in 1952, served in the Army in Korea, and then attended and graduated from Santa Clara University Law School in 1958. He was in private practice as an attorney, doing family law, wills, trusts, estates, and employment law, for 46 years, and did a lot of "pro bono" (free) work and served as a "Judge Pro Tem" as well.He was married to Patricia Buckley Pope (who predeceased him in 1996) for 42 years, and they had three children, Stephen (Patti) of Boston, Mass., Mary (Jim) of Los Gatos, Calif., and Barbara (Tom) of Greenfield, Mass.; and seven grandchildren as well. He is survived also by his sister, Helen (Bo) of Dover and her children Joan and John (Meredith) and Joan's two children. Additionally, he leaves behind his brothers-in-law, Fr. Michael Buckley, SJ, and Fr. Thomas Buckley, SJ. There will be [was] a memorial Mass to celebrate his life at St. Margaret's at 6 Sussex Ave., in Morristown, this Wednesday, (today) at 11:30 a.m. for family and friends. We've learned from his wife Bettye Jo that Adrian Anderson '52  died
on April 9. Andy wrote in the Book of Our History that he was "forever
grateful to Princeton" for accepting him as a junior some months after
he arrived in the U.S. from Northern Ireland. He mentions there that his
only friends at Princeton were in Aeronautical Engineering.Click here for
a memorial Bettye Jo has sent us that recounts Andy's transition from
Indentured Apprentice in Belfast to Princeton to classified work at a
USAF R&D facility in a small town in Tennessee. Excerpts from Andy's
obituary in a local paper follow: Adrian "Andy" Anderson, 82 of
Tullahoma, Tennessee died April 9 after a brief illness. he immigrated
to the United States in 1949. After graduating from Princeton in 1952,
he moved to Tullahoma and worked as an aeronautical engineer at AEDC
until he retired in 1990. Andy became a U.S. citizen in 1954. His
favorite hobbies were golf and crossword puzzles.Andy is survived by his
wife of 52 years, Bettye Jo, three sons, two daughters and twelve
grandchildren. Our classmate Stuart S. Smith  died
on Wednesday, June 18, 2008. He lived in Potomac, MD, and continued to
work in public affairs at the Department of Justice and on labor union
matters until earlier this year (President of the Labor Department
employees union at the time of the 2002 Book of Our History) but was
recently hospitalized with melanoma. His and his wife Dita's son-in-law,
Stephen Schulz, husband of their daughter Melanie, gave us the news.
Stephen also mentioned the marriage of another daughter, Cornelia, on
June 21. He said that, in accordance with Stu's wishes, no service was
planned for him. George Towner has brought attention to the obituary in
the Washington Post for June 25, which tells of Stu's career with the
Baltimore Sun from 1957 to 1971, including coverage from his post in
Bonn of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and from 1971 as a public
information officer at the Department of Labor. He was a labor leader
both at the Sun and at Labor with the American Federation of State,
County, and Municipal Workers. The link to the text of the Post obituary is on the home page. Marty Battestin has passed on the news that his good friend, our distinguished classmate George Garrett,  Professor
Emeritus at the University of Virginia, former Poet Laureate of
Virginia, and author of numerous books of poetry, fiction, and
criticism, died on May 25. He had been suffering from cancer and othr
ailments for several years but kept up working, writing and publishing
until near the end. His wife Susan informed Marty of George's passing.
The Hook News Blog has a reminiscence about George and especially his
connections to the University of Virginia. It reports his funeral will
be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 7, at St. Paul's Memorial Church (in
Charlottesville). Click here for the Hook article. For the Washington Post obituary May 29, click here.
The New York Times called George a "highly regarded Southern novelist
who never received the wide literary renown that his decades of glowing
reviews would suggest." For the May 30 Times obituary, click here.Rudolf E. (Rudy) Ottersen '52  died
on April 30, 2008 in Neenah, WI. At Princeton Rudy was a history major,
sang with the Tigertones and was a member of Key and Seal. An obituary
from the Stevens Point (Wisconsin) Journal is printed below.Rudolf E.
Ottersen of Stevens Point passed away Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at
Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah after a brief illness. Rudy was
born Aug. 13, 1930, in West Salem, the son of Rudolf and Ruth Ottersen.
He resided most of his early life in Fargo, N.D., graduating from Fargo
High School. During that time, he earned Boy Scout's Eagle Scout rank
and the Pro Deo et Patri award. He went on to graduate from Princeton
University where he was a member of the Tigertones cappela singing
group. He graduated with a degree in history and married his wife,
Barbara, on July 18, 1952. The couple resided in Alameda, Calif., while
Rudy completed his service as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard.Moving
to Stevens Point to become general manager of the Campbell Department
Store, Rudy became an active and committed member of the local business
community. During his career in retail, agriculture and real estate
development he held numerous positions of leadership in the Stevens
Point community. He served as director of the Stevens Point Chamber of
Commerce, Stevens Point Country Club and drive chairman of the local
United Way. He also served as president of the Stevens Point Board of
Realtors and MLS. Rudy enjoyed tennis, golf, curling and hunting. His
memberships included the Kiwanis Club and Rotary Club.Rudy is survived
by his wife of 55 years, Barbara (Campbell) Ottersen; four daughters and
one son; Gail (Donald) Hoff and Ann (Mark) Smith of Appleton, Duncan
Jay (Kim) Ottersen of Palmdale, Calif., Karen (Michael) Roman, Seoul,
South Korea and Susan Kay Ottersen of Portland, Ore.; two sisters Mary
Ruth Amack, Seattle, and Margaret (James) Householder, Minneapolis. He
is further survived by 11 grandchildren.Lawrence L. (Larry) Anderson, Jr. '52  died
on April 20. 2008 of pneumonia on Hilton Head Island, SC. A history
major, Larry played rugby and was a member of Cottage Club. After
graduation he served as a Marine Corps Rifle Platoon Leader and Company
Commander in Korea. Larry later earned M.A degrees from Columbia and
Yale and an MBA degree from NYU.Larry worked in sales and advertising
and was president of several food and wine companies. He and his wife,
Lee, founded Anderson Industrial Products, an engineering and
manufacturing company.Larry is survived by Lee, five children and five
grandchildren. In our 55th reunion book, he mentioned with pride his two
sons who were army officers in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
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