Dale '53, University philanthropist, dies

As spring reaches the Princeton campus, flowers are in full bloom. Thanks to the generosity and kindness of Martin Dale '53, so are the dreams of a growing number of current and former University students.

Dale, a business consultant and former foreign-service officer, died Tuesday of lymphoma at the age of 69. Yet he leaves behind a legacy of giving and concern for others that will be long remembered.

In 1992, hoping to start a program that would allow Princeton undergraduates to pursue interests that they could not fully explore in a classroom setting, Dale created an annual scholarship that is presented to a limited number of sophomores.

"My original idea was that the summer awards would enable students to probe some talent or vocation besides what they were pursuing academically, which may have been suggested by a parent or mentor, to give them a chance to find within themselves some other interests," Dale told the Princeton Alumni Weekly in September.

Dale's award is unique in its broad scope. Unlike many other programs, the scholarship is completely open-ended, allowing students to submit proposals for virtually any interest. This summer, recipients' itineraries run the gamut from studying calligraphy in China to volunteering in Calcutta to travelling to Chicago in order to hone improv comedy skills.

As award recipient Scott Eckert '03 said, the scholarship presents a "very unique opportunity for a lot of different kinds of people to do a lot of different kinds of things."

The scholarship provides students entering their sophomore summer with a stipend of $3,000 and the chance to embark upon what often proves a life-changing experience.

Jane Han '02, one of last year's recipients, referred to her past summer as "a turning point in my life." Han, who used the scholarship to make a film on slam poetry in New York, said the experience helped her to realize that film was a path she wanted to pursue. "Without Martin Dale's help," she said, "I don't think I would have figured out what direction to go in."

Born Jan. 3, 1932 in Newark, N.J., Dale studied at Princeton under a William H. Cane Scholarship. Graduating with honors in public and international affairs in 1953, he went on to study at the University of Strasbourg on a Fulbright Scholarship. He later received a master's degree with honors from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 1955.

Upon graduation from Tufts, Dale pursued his childhood goal of a career in Foreign Service. At 23, he served as a vice consul in Marseilles, France and a year later journeyed to Nice as vice consul and acting principal officer. Dale also served as an economic adviser to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, with whom he formed a close friendship.

From 1965 to 1967, Dale served as vice president and executive assistant to the president of the Grand Bahama Port Authority in Freeport. He went on to work for various companies, serving as a senior vice president for Revlon International Corporation, a senior vice president for W.R. Grace & Co. and a consultant for the German conglomerate Henkel KgaA.

Yet in spite of his many professional successes, Dale was most proud of his scholarship programs. Similar to the open-ended sophomore summer awards, Dale recently inaugurated a year-long fellowship program, which provides graduating seniors with a $25,000 stipend to pursue an interest. "These awards I give are the major accomplishment of my life," Dale told the PAW. "Nothing touches me as truly significant other than the influence, small as it may be, I will have had on so many young people."

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Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel noted in a press release the tremendous impact Dale has had on the lives of the more than 90 sophomores and five seniors who have received his awards. "Martin Dale is a hero to an ever-growing number of Princeton students whose lives have been transformed by the summer awards and postgraduate fellowships that bear his name," she said. "Through his remarkable breadth of vision and great generosity, he has opened worlds of possibility to them that they could not otherwise have imagined experiencing."

Malkiel's words were shared by the students whose lives Dale has touched. Justin Goldberg '02, one of last year's sophomore award recipients, spent the summer in Jerusalem working on the translation of a novel. Goldberg said he will long remember not only his summer's work, which he hopes to publish in the coming year, but also the inspirational spirit of giving that characterized Dale.

Goldberg, who met Dale at a reception held this past fall for the scholarship recipients, noted in an e-mail, "What struck me most about Mr. Dale was his modesty. The intensity of his interest in our ideas and passions was so sincere that it was almost self-effacing."

In his actions and words, Dale showed the great pleasure he took in enabling students to pursue what was important to them. In the PAW, Dale noted that he greatly enjoyed "having a fingerprint on the lives of these extraordinary people."

It was this great personal satisfaction that prompted Dale to advance the commencement of his year-long fellowship award to "get some of the joy" of hearing of their dreams and stories while he was still alive.

If Dale found joy in hearing the stories of the students he helped, those students derived inspiration in equal measure from Dale's generosity and interest in their goals and pursuits.

Genevieve Yue '01, who used the scholarship to journey to China on a photo-poetry project and study family life in different regions, noted in an e-mail that being completely alone in a foreign country often brought moments of doubt. However, she said, "What I had to back me was Mr. Dale's support, the spirit of his award which, far more than the stipend, was about having faith in my project, my education and my personal growth."

A secular memorial service for Dale will be held May 12 at 3:30 p.m. in the University Chapel. Contributions in his memory should be sent to The Trustees of Princeton University for the Martin A. Dale '53 Fund.