Ira S. Warren Jr.

Ira S. Warren Jr., a lifelong resident of Princeton passed away Monday, March 12, 2012 at the University Medical Center at Princeton.

He was a graduate of Princeton High School, attended the Hun School and received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Virginia. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force, after serving at Cape Canaveral, Fla., working on the missile program under Dr. Wernher von Braun, during the time of the Korean War.

Mr. Warren retired from the Hercules Company in Kingston as a chemist. In his leisure time, he enjoyed gardening and caring for his dogs. Ira was a member of American Legion Post 76, the Nassau Club and Trinity Church in Princeton.

Predeceased by his parents, Ira S. Sr. and Emily Warren; Ira is survived by his beloved wife of 41 years, Rosemary S. Warren; three brothers, Lee Roy and Benjamin Rossell Warren, both of Princeton, and Edward Warren of Marietta, Ga.; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held on Friday, March 16, 2012 at 10 a.m. at the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue, Princeton. Burial followed in the family plot at Princeton Cemetery.

Visitation was on Thursday, March 15, 2012 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions in his name can be made to SAVE, 900 Herrontown Road, Princeton, N.J. 08540; or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Extend condolences at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

———

Michael P. Barnett

Michael P. Barnett was surrounded by three generations of family until shortly before his peaceful death at Princeton Medical Center on March 13, 2012.

Professor Barnett was born in London, England in 1929. He attended Kings College, London, where he received a BSc in chemistry in 1948 and a PhD in theoretical chemistry in 1952 that resulted in the discovery of recurrence formulas known as the Barnett-Coulson expansion. This research involved the use, for the first time in the U.K., of the IBM 650 computer for solving complex mathematical calculations.

His military service was as a senior fellow at the Royal Radar Establishment where he worked on theoretical solid state physics. On completion of his service, he joined IBM UK where he directed the computer center and participated in numerous projects such as calculating DNA structures and simulations of hydrology projects of the river Nile for planning where to place dams.

In 1957 he was invited to pursue post-doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin and in 1958 became an associate professor of physics at MIT. While at MIT, he was the director of the cooperative computer laboratory and he developed a way to typeset computed mathematical formulae directly. He also did some initial work on word processing. In 1963 he went back to England as Reader of Information Processing at the University of London.

Believing that academic research should lead to industrial applications, in 1964 he joined the newly formed graphic systems division of RCA in Princeton to create software for commercial typesetting. Barnett designed the algorithmic markup language PAGE-1 to express complicated formats in full page composition. This was used for a wide range of typeset products that included, over the years, the Social Sciences Index of the H.W. Wilson Company and several other publications. In 1975 he joined the faculty of the Columbia School of Library service where he introduced library automation courses.

In 1977, Barnett moved to the Department of Computer Information Science at Brooklyn College of the City University (CUNY) of New York, retiring as professor emeritus in 1996. While at CUNY, he directed a major NSF funded project to develop computer-generated printed matter for undergraduate teaching. He was a dedicated, creative, supportive teacher at institutions that ranged from Ivy League to public inner city college, and his students came from all walks of life.

He lived in Princeton for 38 years before retiring to Hightstown in 2003. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Barbara; his daughter, Gabrielle; his son, Simon; his daughter-in-law, Melissa Roper-Barnett; predeceased by his son, Graham. He leaves six grandchildren.

Michael was a member of the Princeton traffic safety committee. He was active until shortly before his death, enjoying long walks, swimming, listening to classical music, and telling stories. Both friends and strangers were struck by his enormous intellect, well-spoken manner, upbeat wit, and quintessential British charm. Interment will be private; a memorial service at Trinity Episcopal Church will be planned.

———

Philip J. Cobb

Philip Jackson Cobb died at age 84 at the Veteran’s Home in Augusta, Maine on March 15, 2012.

Phil was born September 5, 1927, a son of Roland and Catherine Thomson Cobb, in Denmark, Maine. He was educated at The George School, the University of Florida at Gainesville (Bachelors of Education) and Rutgers University (Masters of Education). He served in the U.S. Navy.

He loved organized children’s camps and spent more than 75 years in camping, co-directing Camp Runoia in Belgrade Lakes for over 50 years. He was an administrator of the John Witherspoon School in Princeton for over 30 years after teaching history at the Nassau Street School in Princeton. He volunteered for the Maine Youth Camping Association, the Town of Belgrade, the Maine Attorney General’s Office, the Senior Peace Corps in the Philippines and the Natural Resource Council of Maine.

He spent nearly 50 loving years married to his wife, Elizabeth (Betty) Nawrath Cobb. He was predeceased by his wife, Betty, and two sons, Eric Cobb and Robert Cobb.

Phil is survived by his daughters, Cassandra Cobb and Pamela Cobb Heuberger; his sister, Virginia Cobb Thibodeaux; and his daughter-in-law, Marsha Cobb; son-in-law, Mark Heuberger; his grandchildren, Crystal Cobb, Jai Kells, and Mike Gray; and three great granddaughters.

A private family memorial will be held at the Friends Cemetery in Windham, Maine. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Phil’s name can be made to: Betty Cobb Campership Fund: Camp Runoia Alumnae Organization, P.O. Box 450, Belgrade Lakes, Maine 04918; or the Natural Resource Council of Maine, 3 Wade Street, Augusta, Maine 04330.

———

Alexander P. Robinson

Alexander Proudfit Robinson, son of the late Rev. Stewart Robinson, DD (Princeton, ’15) and Anne Payne, died March 9 at The Pennswood Village, a retirement community where he had resided for the past seven years during which he had a warm, delightful relationship with staff and residents.

Born in Lockport, N.Y. on June 16, 1928, Alex grew up in Elizabeth, N.J. He attended the Darrow School, and upon graduation from Columbia University in 1951, joined the United States Marine Corps. He was discharged in 1954 with the rank of First Lieutenant and later attained the rank of Captain as a reservist.

From the early sixties until 2005, Alex was closely involved in the educational world and the community affairs of Montgomery Township. After serving as assistant headmaster at the Chapin School in Princeton and later teaching at The Hun School, he began a career at Somerset Community College in 1972 as associate dean of students and two years later took on the added responsibilities of registrar, positions he held until 1993. Subsequently, Alex continued part time as an adjunct instructor in the English department until 2003 and for the next two years tutored students. In 1987 Somerset CC was renamed Raritan Valley CC in recognition of Somerset and Hunterdon Counties joining forces to support the college.

During the period from 1978 to 1991, Alex devoted a great deal of time to the affairs of Montgomery Township, serving on a number of boards and committees, including a six year stint on the Township Committee during which period he also served one year terms as mayor and deputy mayor. In addition, he was very actively involved in the affairs of the Mary Jacobs Memorial Library as a member of the committee charged with raising funds to finance two library expansions. He also served on the Library Advisory Board and helped plan the second addition. Mei Mei Morris, former library director stated: “Without his help, our two additions and renovations, in 1992 and 2005, would not have been possible.”

A close, long term friend of Alex’s, Keith Wheelock, adjunct Professor of history at Raritan CC since 1992, served on the Township Committee at the same time as Alex, comments that in his role as mayor, “he looked and acted distinguished and thoughtful.” He further notes: “I remember Alex as a person proud of his country, dedicated to education and student mentoring, and as a steadfast friend. Alex thoroughly enjoyed teaching and mentoring and was good at both.”

Alex did find time for avocations. For a number of years during the 60’s and 70’s, he sang with the men’s singing group known as the Palmer Squares, and in the latter part of his life sang for several years with the Hopewell Valley Chorus. He also maintained a woodworking shop in his Princeton Hill Apartment, where he turned out wood working with meticulous pride principally for friends and family. As a young man, Alex was a devotee of fly-fishing, especially in the vicinity of his parents summer home located in Delhi, N.Y. Later in life he remained an active member of the local Delaware Fishing Club.

Alex is survived by his son Bruce; his brother J. Courtland (Princeton ’47); his wife Sally (Shoemaker); his sister Nancy and her husband William Becker; 13 nieces and nephews; and a number of grand nieces and nephews. His brother, Stewart (Princeton ’41) and his wife Ruth (McClelland), his sister Anne and her husband William Eddy (Princeton ’42), and his son Alexander predeceased him.

A memorial service is planned for a future date.

———

Memorial Service

Fadlou F. Shehadi

A memorial service for Fadlou Albert Shehadi, 86, will be held at the Princeton University Chapel on March 28th at 3 p.m.