James J. Harford

James J. Harford, who served for 37 years as executive director of, first, the American Rocket Society [ARS], and then the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics [AIAA], died at University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro on Monday, December 8, 2014 at age 90. He lived in Princeton, New Jersey, with his wife of 62 years, the former Mildred Waters.

Harford, a loyal Eli who enjoyed rooting for the “other side” at Princeton/Yale sports events, was deeply involved in Princeton throughout his 60-year residence. He lived to see his longtime hope of a joined Township and Borough government come to fruition. A commuter and tireless advocate for improving rail service he supported Barbara Sigmund, then Princeton Borough member, in her successful “Save the Dinky” campaign of the 1970’s and later was a founder of the “Amtrak Committee of 100” to save Congressional funding of Amtrak east coast commuter services.

He played a key role in the founding of Stuart Country Day School, serving on the original fundraising and planning committees and many subsequent board positions. He parlayed his considerable fundraising skills on behalf of the renovation of the Princeton Public Library. He was a Eucharistic Minister at the Aquinas Institute. He enjoyed many Communiversity Days and Summer Sounds evenings — especially when his son, Chris Harford was playing. In retirement he was a Kindergarten reader at Riverside school. He was also a member of Princeton University’s Old Guard, Pretty Brook Tennis Club and Community-Without-Walls. Given their love of watching Princeton University crew teams, he and his wife have provided a “resting view” bench for joggers and strollers on the canal towpath opposite their home on Carnegie Lake.

Born in Jersey City on August 19, 1924, Harford predominantly grew up in Cranford, N.J. where he established lifelong friends, an athlete’s love of baseball and basketball, and sang barbershop with his four brothers. It was at Yale University that his deep love of music expanded to include crooners and jazz greats. A mechanical engineering graduate of Yale and of Columbia Midshipmen’s School in 1945, Harford served in Japan as engineering officer on transport vessels. On separation from the Navy as a Lieutenant JG, he spent several years working as an applications engineer with Worthington Corporation; then followed a two year stint in Europe as a journalist for the U.S. Marshall Plan. He was made head of the ARS staff in 1953, four years before the launch of Sputnik, at the time the Society had two employees and published one journal. In 1963 ARS merged with the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences. When he retired in 1989, there were 250 on the staff and five monthly journals and over 35,000 aerospace engineering members. He then became Verville Fellow at the National Air and Space Museum, conceiving and co-chairing the World Space Congress, in celebration of the International Space Year on the 500^th anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus, in 1992.

He represented ARS and AIAA at annual International Astronautical Congresses from 1959, in London, to 1998 in Melbourne. In 1985 he received the NASA Public Service Medal, in 1987 the Air Force Exceptional Medal, in 1995 the AIAA International Cooperation Award, and in 1997 the Allan D. Emil Award for contributions to international cooperation in space technology. He testified before Congress numerous times on behalf of major space projects. His professional tenure spanned Sputnik, the full Apollo program, the space shuttle, Skylab, the space station, Hubble telescope, and the Voyager’s “Grand Tour”. He was recognized as a pioneer planner in joint U.S.-Russian space exploration and habitation most notably with the Apollo-Soyuz docking mission in 1975. After studying Russian, and after some 12 trips to the then Soviet Union, he wrote KOROLEV, the first English language book about Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, who had dominated and engineered the Soviet space program in its early years. While recognizing the imperatives of the military-industrial complex roles in birthing the space program, he was a vociferous champion of peaceful uses of space technologies and took great pride in the space technology spinoffs that are now found everywhere in medicine, education, communications and more.

A spiritual man and active Roman Catholic, in retirement he wrote Merton and Friends, a joint biography of the Trappist monk-author, Thomas Merton and two of his closest friends, the hermit-poet, Robert Lax, and the author-traveler Edward Rice, founder and editor of the lay Catholic literary magazine, Jubilee, with a mission “that would act as a forum on addressing issues confronting the contemporary church.” Jubilee harnessed the energies of Vatican II Catholic social thought leaders and featured significant artists and writers including Jack Kerouac, Dan Berrigan, A.J. Muste, Ned O’Gorman, Merton and others. Harford served on that publication’s editorial advisory board from 1953 until its demise in 1967.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters Susan Harford, of Reston, Virginia, and Jennifer Harford; and two sons, James and Christopher all of Princeton; grand-daughters Ayla Peacock and Amanda Harford; and his sister, MaryJane Ferro of Pearl River, N.Y. Another son, Peter Benedict, died in infancy in 1959.

A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, December 20, 2014 at 9:15 a.m. at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, 214 Nassau Street, Princeton, N.J. 08542. After a brief interment ceremony at Princeton Cemetery, a reception will follow.

Contributions in his memory may be made to Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, 1200 Stuart Road, Princeton, N.J. 08540, co-founded by his wife, who was also a Montessori teacher there for 14 years, or the Princeton Senior Resource Center, 45 Stockton Street, Princeton, N.J. 08540 or the Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, N.J., 08542.

Condolences to the family may be posted at www.TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

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Robert Bruno Alexander Naumann

Robert Bruno Alexander Naumann, 85, succumbed to Parkinson’s disease on December 10, 2014. Bob was born on June 7, 1929 in Dresden, Germany, the son of Eberhard Bruno and Elsa (Haege) Naumann zu Koenigsbrueck. Bob attended the Browning School in New York City, The Cranbrook School, The Scots College in Sydney, Australia, and the University of California in Berkeley. After his January 1949 graduation from the University of California in Berkeley, accented with Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi keys, Bob entered Princeton University’s graduate program in physical chemistry.

In 1953, with a PhD in chemistry, a fresh U.S. naturalization certificate, and a ham-radio license (W2FNY), Bob chose to remain in Princeton. For 39 years, Bob was Princeton University’s only joint professor of chemistry and physics. While there he taught hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, including Albert Einstein. Bob’s scientific interests, especially in nuclear chemistry/spectroscopy, yielded countless professional articles and the discovery of 21 radioactive isotopes and 12 nuclear isomers.

In 1961 in Princeton’s University Chapel, Bob married Marina Turkevich, the daughter of Princeton chemistry professor, John Turkevich, and Ludmilla Turkevich, a Russian scholar who would become the first female faculty member to earn tenure at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Bob would leave New Jersey during summer breaks for Los Alamos National Lab. During sabbatical-year leaves, he researched mostly at European universities and institutes in Copenhagen, Geneva, and Munich. Twice, Bob was named the Alexander von Humboldt Senior U.S. Scientist and, in 1988, as visiting professor of physics at Munich’s Technical University. Bob was a member and later, fellow of many U.S. scientific societies.

In 1992, Bob retired with Marina to Norwich, Vermont. At Dartmouth College, Bob found stimulating scholars who honored him as an adjunct professor of chemistry, physics, and astronomy. In his precious down time, armed with a scientific “scribble pad” and pocket radios, Bob continued globetrotting. This creatively energetic pace kept Bob in fine health until midsummer.

Bob is survived by his wife Marina; daughter, Kristin of Boxford, Massachusetts; and son, Andrew with his wife, Liz of Vashon Island, Washington. Four grandchildren also survive.

A Requiem Service and Celebration of Robert Bruno Alexander Naumann’s life will be held privately. Memorial contributions would be welcomed at VT Foodbank, 33 Parker Road, Barre, Vermont 05641, www.vtfoodbank.org or at a charity of one’s choice.

Ricker Funeral Homes & Crematory of Lebanon, New Hampshire is in charge of final arrangements.

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Teresa “Nan” Cupples

Peacefully with family, Teresa passed away late Friday night at the age of 85. She leaves behind a legacy of love and giving to others. Raised in Nanticoke, Pa. with her Polish immigrant parents, her sisters, and brothers, the family opened a tavern treasured by locals. In 1953 she met the love of her life, Bucky Cupples from Princeton, and soon after they married in 1955. Leaving Nanticoke behind, Teresa and Bucky started a family in Princeton, where they raised their daughters Tracey and Rebecca and later raised their grandsons Dan, Dylan, and Trevor.

Teresa loved to work and started her career early. Right after graduating high school, she worked for Western Union where she was responsible for sending information to national news outlets. Based on her outstanding work, she was asked by Western Union to transfer to a different area in North Jersey. Teresa’s heart was in Princeton so she decided to leave Western Union and find a new career working for the Borough of Princeton where she stayed for 29 years. She served several mayors, including Robert Cawley, Barbara Sigmund, and Marvin Reed. Working for the Borough she earned the nickname “Mother Teresa” because of her tireless efforts to indiscriminately help everyone she met. Teresa did not know the meaning of rest; during her free time she was a charter member with the Princeton Engine Co. #1 Ladies Auxiliary with over 50 years of service. Teresa also worked for the Mercer County Board of Elections as a District Worker serving Princeton in every election held in the past 40 years.

After retiring at the age of 71 from the Borough of Princeton and not feeling satisfied and wanting to give more, she decided to volunteer her time at the Princeton Hospital where she worked for 10 more years. She will be truly missed by all and her mark is indelible. Teresa is survived by her husband Bucky; grandchildren Dan (with wife Kristen), Dylan, Trevor, Andrew, Rebecca, and Oliver. Also, her great grandchildren Madison, Reese, Michael, Tracey, Helen and Joe Tomko, Barbara and David Voorhees, and Gertrude Cupples.

The funeral will be held 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 18, 2014 at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 9:30 a.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 214 Nassau Street, Princeton. Burial will follow in the Princeton Cemetery. A viewing will be held Wednesday December 17,  2014 from 2 to 4 p.m. and then again from 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.

After the funeral service, there will be a celebration of Teresa’s life at the Princeton Engine Co. #1 Firehouse. In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to be given to the “Princeton Engine Co. #1 Ladies Auxiliary.”

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John R. Partyka

John R. Partyka, 67, passed on December 15, 2014.

Born in Trenton on April 11, 1947, he was recently employed by A-1 Limousine where he was a favored driver. A licensed optician for many years, he learned his trade in the U.S. Army. He served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star. He never failed to wear an American flag pin on his lapel.

He and his wife were avid skiers, hikers, kayakers, bird watchers, and RV travelers. Known as “J.R.” he pursued a talent as a ceramic artist. He became known as “Faux Picasso.” Many of his pieces were sold in and around the Princeton area.

A longtime member of the Trenton Country Club, he was a champion golfer and was proud of several holes in one.

J.R. is survived by his loving wife of 30 years, Marie Kerlin, a sister Eleanor Szul, brother Ed Partyka and his wife June, brother Stanley and wife Mary Jo, brother Robert Partyka and wife Debbie, and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents John and Jean Partyka.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 20, 2014 at Trenton Country Club at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Vietnam Veterans Association in his name.

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Allen Neil Grossman

Allen Neil Grossman, known since childhood as Skip, died on December 3, 2014 of a heart attack at his home in Poulsbo, Wash. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on May 14, 1946 to William and Shirley Grossman, he graduated from Kenmore West High School in Kenmore, N.Y., and recently attended his 50th high school reunion. He graduated from Princeton University in 1968 with a degree in history, and from Harvard Law School in 1971. Following law school he served in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps for two years.

Skip worked for 10 years in private practice in Philadelphia, Pa. and Princeton before beginning a business career in electronic publishing. For 21 years he worked with Dow Jones & Company in several divisions including Factiva. His work, which was international in scope, focused on leading business development and licensing for information services. In 2003 he returned to private practice in Princeton with Mason, Griffin & Pierson, P.C., specializing in software licensing, elder law, and estate planning.

For ten years Skip served on the Princeton Board of Education, and he was an active member of the Rotary Club of Princeton and the Council of the Princeton University Community. An enthusiastic sports fan, Skip was a season ticket holder for Princeton football and a devoted fan of Princeton basketball, lacrosse, wrestling, and men’s and women’s soccer. He coached several youth teams for the Princeton Soccer Association, a community contribution that he found especially fulfilling.

Skip’s values of duty, service, integrity, and loyalty guided everything he did. His faith and heritage were important to him as was his patriotism, and he expressed these in a quiet, consistent manner. Personally and professionally Skip adhered to the very highest standards; he was honest and direct, but always filled with care and compassion for others. Once Skip committed to a job or a volunteer position he worked with uncompromising devotion. He was a stalwart friend and neighbor, a thoughtful community contributor, and a valued colleague. Above all else, he was devoted to his family, which he expressed through loving partnership and paternal pride.

After living in Princeton for more than 35 years, Skip and his wife Pam moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2011 to be near their son Steve and his young family.

Skip is survived by his wife of 45 years, Pam, of Poulsbo, Wash.; daughter, Betsy, of Norfolk, Va.; son, Steve, daughter-in-law, Amanda, and grandchildren James and Madeline, of Bainbridge Island, Wash.; and sister, Barbara Grossman, of St. Paul, Minn..

Congregation Kol Shalom in Bainbridge Island, Wash. held a memorial service on December 5th. The family is planning a memorial in Princeton in the spring. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.