Obituaries

Long-time Princeton professor and researcher Jacques Robert Fresco dies at 93

Fresco was considered a pioneer in the study of nucleic acids and biochemistry. In 1960, he and his student Bruce Albert, working in Paul M. Doty’s lab at Harvard University, published a paper which outlined a structure for RNA.

Fresco was considered a pioneer in the study of nucleic acids and biochemistry. In 1960, he and his student Bruce Albert, working in Paul Doty’s lab at Harvard, published a paper which outlined a structure for RNA.

Geosciences professor Tullis Onstott GS ’80 dies at 66

Working with him “was the most inspiring and one of the most enjoyable experiences of my 40+ years in Princeton classrooms,” Professor Edwin Turner wrote. “He routinely both infected our students with his deep and passionate excitement for science and effectively encouraged them to pursue their own intellectual interests with confidence in their abilities and a sense of adventure.”

Working with him “was the most inspiring and one of the most enjoyable experiences of my 40+ years in Princeton classrooms,” Professor Edwin Turner wrote. “He routinely both infected our students with his deep and passionate excitement for science and effectively encouraged them to pursue their own intellectual interests with confidence in their abilities and a sense of adventure.”

Peter C. Bunnell, former Princeton University Art Museum director, dies at 83

Bunnell served two terms as director of the Princeton University Art Museum in addition to serving as the David Hunter McAlpin Professor of the History of Photography and Modern Art, a professor of art and archaeology and author of the award-winning book “Minor White: The Eye That Shapes”. 

Bunnell served two terms as director of the Princeton University Art Museum in addition to serving as the David Hunter McAlpin Professor of the History of Photography and Modern Art, a professor of art and archaeology and author of the award-winning book “Minor White: The Eye That Shapes”. 

Donald Rumsfeld ’54, former Secretary of Defense, dies at 88

Rumsfeld, who served Secretary of Defense for both Gerald Ford and George W. Bush and was one of the key figures in the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, has died at age 88.

Rumsfeld, who served Secretary of Defense for both Gerald Ford and George W. Bush and was one of the key figures in the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, has died at age 88.

Friends, family remember Kevin Chang ’23

The Kevin Chang ’23 Memorial Fund has been set up in Chang’s memory; all gifts will be made to Princeton’s Counseling and Psychological Services in support of student wellness and mental health. 

The Kevin Chang ’23 Memorial Fund has been set up in Chang’s memory; all gifts will be made to Princeton’s Counseling and Psychological Services in support of student wellness and mental health. 

Princeton community mourns the death of Kevin Chang ’23

A memorial service was held over Zoom at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28. Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel Rev. Alison Boden hosted the event, which was attended by over 140 people. An in-person vigil took place at 5 p.m. on Thursday for students to gather and reflect.

A memorial service was held over Zoom at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28. Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel Rev. Alison Boden hosted the event, which was attended by over 140 people. An in-person vigil took place at 5 p.m. on Thursday for students to gather and reflect.

Muslim Chaplain Sohaib Nazeer Sultan dies at 40

Known to the campus community as “Imam Sohaib,” Sultan built a vibrant community for Muslims and non-Muslims alike and extended the reach of the community to those from beyond the University’s gates.

Known to the campus community as “Imam Sohaib,” Sultan built a vibrant community for Muslims and non-Muslims alike and extended the reach of the community to those from beyond the University’s gates.

Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz ’42 dies at 100

Elder statesman George P. Shultz, who served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and helped bring an end to the Cold War, died at his home in Stanford, California on February 6. He was 100 years old.

Elder statesman George P. Shultz, who served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and helped bring an end to the Cold War, died at his home in Stanford, California on February 6. He was 100 years old.

Princeton alumna Zoya Shoaib ’20 dies at 22

Shoaib was a Residential College Advisor (RCA) at Whitman College, an active member of the campus Muslim community, and a graduate with an A.B. degree in computer science.

Shoaib was a Residential College Advisor (RCA) at Whitman College, an active member of the campus Muslim community, and a graduate with an A.B. degree in computer science.

Cassidy Yang, fifth-year graduate student and ‘lifeblood of the lab,’ dies at 26

Cassidy Yang, a graduate student studying within the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, died in a car crash in Ohio while driving home to Illinois from New York on Dec. 5. She was 26. 

William Rice Elfers ’71, ‘Prince’ business manager and longtime trustee, dies at 71

William Rice Elfers ’71, a longtime trustee of The Daily Princetonian and the paper’s business manager in 1970, died on Saturday at the age of 71.

Professor Thomas Roche Jr., Renaissance scholar and ‘generous teacher,’ dies at 89

“[Roche] was the consummate host, the consummate professor, the consummate Spencerian, the consummate mentor, an extraordinary friend. And one of the most caring, wicked, hilarious, big hearted people I know,” reflected John Smelcer ’98, a founding member of Princeton Shakespeare Company (PSC), in an email to The Daily Princetonian. 

Professor John Murrin, prolific historian of early America, dies at 84 of COVID-19 complications

“There’s a motto in academia — everyone here is smart; you can distinguish yourself by being kind. No one embodied this motto more than John,” noted professor Kevin Kruse.

Renowned U. mathematician John Conway dead at 82 from COVID-19 complications

Conway died at the Parker nursing home in New Brunswick, N.J., where he has been in residence for nearly a year, several of his close friends confirmed.

Physics professor emeritus and Nobel laureate Phil Anderson dies at age 96

Anderson was the Joseph Henry Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at the University, where he has been a faculty member since 1975. He died on March 29, 2020, in Princeton Windrows, N.J.

Venerated mathematical physicist Freeman J. Dyson dies at 96

Despite his mathematical contributions to the theories of quantum electrodynamics, Dyson did not receive the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics alongside Feynman, Schwinger, and Tomonaga. The theoretical physicist Steven Weinberg GS ’57, who shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics, told the New York Times in 2009 that the Nobel Prize Committee “fleeced” Dyson by not awarding him a prize for his work on quantum electrodynamics.

Physics professor emeritus Pierre Adrien Piroué dies at age 88

For his first experiment, Piroué was effectively on his own. For his last, he worked with the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and collaborated with more than 3,000 scientists.

'The integrity and will of ten men': the life of Paul Volcker ’49

In his senior thesis, Volcker criticized how the Federal Reserve dealt with inflation in the wake of WWII. Thirty years later, becoming Chairman of the Federal Reserve among economic turmoil, he began a crusade against inflation that would define his career.

Professor emeritus Jameson Doig dies at 86

“Jim Doig was far and away the best thing about my Princeton education and the same is true for many others,” Andrew D. Hurwitz ’68 wrote. “But Jim’s mentorship did not end when you graduated … he was always available to comment on your work and regularly asked [you] to comment on his.”

U. professor emeritus, World War II veteran Samuel Hynes dies at 95

Samuel Hynes, a World War II veteran, as well as the University’s Emeritus Woodrow Wilson Professor of Literature and emeritus professor of English, passed away at his home in Princeton on Oct. 10 at the age of 95.