Charles Townsend

Charles Townsend, long-time Princeton resident and professor at Princeton University, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on June 7, 2015. Charlie, as he was commonly known, was born to Charles E. Townsend and Lois Townsend (nee Fukushima) on September 29, 1932 in New Rochelle, N.Y. His only sibling and identical twin, Peter, predeceased him.

Charlie spent his early years on a farm in Vermont, before moving to New York and attending Trinity School on a full scholarship. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University, where he majored in German, in 1954. Charlie then spent a year in Germany on a Fulbright scholarship. On the boat over, he met his future wife and fellow Fulbright scholar, Janet Linner. They were married in 1957.

Drafted into the U.S. Army, Charlie served three years, studying Russian at the Army Language School in Monterey, Calif. and working in the U.S. counterintelligence corps in Nuremberg, Germany. He was chosen as a Russian-speaking guide to the U.S. National Exhibition in Moscow in the summer of 1959.

Charlie did his graduate work at Harvard, where he earned an MA in Soviet Regional Studies, followed by a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures in 1961. He was an assistant professor at Harvard for five years before coming to Princeton, where he chaired the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures for 32 consecutive years, until his retirement in 2002.

Two early sabbaticals were spent with his wife and young daughters in Prague, Czechoslovakia, where he developed his lifelong interest in the Czech language, of which he was a preeminent scholar. Over his academic career, Charlie published nine books and innumerable articles; taught linguistics, Russian, Czech, Bulgarian, and Polish; and was a tireless mentor to his students, many of whom went on to distinguished careers.

Charlie’s research took him to Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union/Russia many times. He and Janet loved to travel together and enjoyed many trips throughout the U.S. and Europe as well as to Asia and Africa.

Charlie played basketball and football as a youth, was an avid tennis and squash player, and loved watching sports. He was a Red Sox fan to the end. He played piano, guitar, and banjo by ear and loved singing with family and friends. After his retirement, he volunteered with the Princeton Hospice Program, and particularly enjoyed leading a weekly “singfest” at the Acorn Glen assisted living facility.

Charlie is survived by his wife of 57 years, Janet; and his daughters Erica Appel (Charles), Sylvia Townsend (Charles Cowens), and Louise Townsend (Ben Schmidt). He leaves behind his five beloved grandchildren, Rose and Alice Cowens; Justine and Stephen Appel; and Isabel Schmidt; and his nephews Ross Adler (Pam) and James Townsend (Jenny); and nieces Sara Poumerol (Gilles) and Laura McWright (Glen), and their children.

A memorial service will be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations may be mailed to Princeton Hospice, 88 Princeton-Hightstown Rd, Ste 201, Princeton Junction, NJ 08550 (“Attn. Hospice”) or made online at princetonhcs.org.

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Daniel M. Wise Jr.

Daniel M. Wise, Jr., 95, died peacefully May 23, 2015, at his home in Meadow Lakes, a retirement community in Hightstown, New Jersey. He leaves behind a loving family and a trove of experiences and memories he generously shared professionally as a writer/filmmaker, and personally as a well-practiced and engaging storyteller.

The son of Daniel M. Wise, Sr. and Lydia Cranmer Wise, he was born October 28, 1919, in Washington, D.C. The family later lived in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania; Palmyra, New Jersey; and Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, where Daniel graduated from Upper Darby High School. He attended Franklin Pierce business school in Philadelphia and graduated from Bucknell University in 1942.

As an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, he led the ordnance supply unit of a fighter-bomber squadron, beginning after D-Day at some of the first forward airfields in Normandy, and continuing through northern France and into Germany.

He parlayed his college French into many great experiences, most notably the courting of the love of his life, Janette Mail, a ballerina in the Paris Opera, whom he met while both were vacationing in the alpine resort of Talloires in August 1945 and to whom he was a devoted husband for 65 years.

After the war he worked for the Office of the Foreign Liquidation Commissioner in Paris and married Janette in 1947. They returned to the United States on the SS De Grasse later that year, and settled in Philadelphia. Daniel became a writer and film producer with TelRa Productions, making programs for the NFL, Sports Illustrated, and Major League Baseball in the new medium of television, eventually becoming president of the company. He was an independent producer for several years and later worked for the American Kennel Club where he made award-winning training films and documentaries before retiring in the early 1980s. The family moved to Princeton in 1976 where, in semi-retirement, he served as a driver for Beck & Call, a limousine and courier service.

A lifelong athlete, he started running before it became popular, competing in many races, including the Penn Relays and a marathon at age 59. He was a fixture on the streets and paths of Princeton and surrounding towns, running with his beloved golden retriever, Coda, and posted a personal record of running consecutive days that extended for nearly three years. Later, he became an avid biker with the Princeton Freewheelers, and did several bike tours in the U.S. and overseas with his son, Christian.

For over 40 years he was a fixture in the Philadelphia Eagles press box where he collaborated with the statistics team to write a detailed play-by-play narrative of every home game for use by the media and the NFL.

Predeceased by his wife who died January 14, 2012, Daniel is survived by his three children: Anita Wise and her husband TJ Tindall, of Pennington; Daniel R., and his wife, Lillian Doucet Wise, of Concord, New Hampshire; and Christian Wise, and his wife Hannah Fuller-Boswell, of Montague, Massachusetts; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Daniel will also be lovingly remembered by an extended family that includes his brother, Joseph, of Hanover, Pennsylvania; a cousin, Sam Wise, of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania; and numerous nieces and nephews from his late sisters, Dorothy, and Harriett, and Janette’s sister, Léone Mail of France.

Daniel donated his body to the Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center for the education of medical students.

His life was celebrated at a service at Meadow Lakes, 300 Etra Road, Hightstown, New Jersey at 1 p.m., Sunday, June 7, 2015. His remains will be buried with his wife at Princeton Cemetery.

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Alice M. Garrison

Alice M. Garrison, a life-long resident of Princeton, passed away at age 90 on Thursday, June 4, 2015 in the house where she was born.

Alice was a graduate of Princeton High School, Class of 1942. In 1943, she married Philip Garrison, her husband of 64 years whom she first met at Nassau Street Elementary School when the two were in kindergarten.

Alice worked for two years at the Institute for Advanced Study as a secretary to Albert Einstein and John von Neumann. In 1944, she went to work for Princeton University, where she was employed for 43 years, first in the Department of Romance Languages and later in Latin American Studies and European Civilizations. She was particularly proud to administer the Helen Lee Wessel Fellowships in Public Affairs, established to support scholars of inter-American affairs. Long after she retired in 1987, she remained in touch with students she had met at the University.

Alice was predeceased by her husband, Philip, by her younger sister, Nancy Blaney, and by a long string of loyal German Shepherds. She is survived by her daughter, Sharon Worthington of Princeton; her son, James Garrison of Dublin, Ohio and his spouse, Peggy. She had four grandchildren: Ross Worthington of Washington, D.C.; Julie Worthington of Somerville, Mass.; Kimberly Gatton of Atlanta, Ga; and Amy Garrison of Cleveland, Ohio.

A private burial service was held at Rocky Hill Cemetery in Rocky Hill, N.J. under the direction of the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue, Princeton, N.J. 08540.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org. Condolences may be sent online by visiting www.thekimblefuneralhome.com.

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Margaret A. Scott

Margaret A. (Spohn) Scott died on June 3, 2015 at the age of 80 in the Merwick Care and Rehabilitation Center in Plainsboro. She was the daughter of the late Llewellyn N. and Dorothy Seyfert Spohn. She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Eric J. Y. Scott.

Marge was born in Reading. Pa. and was a graduate of Reading High School and Cedar Crest College. After graduation, she was employed as a social worker in Philadelphia until her marriage.

Marge and her husband shared a great love for music. They enjoyed English contra dancing and made many good friends from this activity. They also enjoyed and attended many concerts. Marge had a beautiful alto voice and was a member of Elaine Brown’s chorus when she resided in Philadelphia. She was a pianist and artist.

One of her outstanding hobbies was quilting. She organized friends and family members in producing quilts for many occasions. She was a beloved family member and a good friend.

Marge is survived by her sister, Dorothy R. Rapp, wife of Vernon G. Rapp; her niece Lynanne R. Hesse, wife of Stephen R. Hesse and nephew Jeffrey D. Rapp all of Berks County, Pa.; as well as her nephew Gregory A. Rapp husband of Karen L. of Ocean County, N.J. She is also survived by Lynanne’s children, Christine A. Scheipe of Columbia, S.C. and Benjamin W. Scheipe of Berks County, Pa.

A private celebration of her life will be held by her family.

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James Quigley Griffin

James Quigley Griffin of Hopewell, New Jersey died peacefully on June 2, 2015 after a brief illness.

A revered husband, father, grandfather, farmer, sportsman, and friend to countless individuals, Mr. Griffin had a diverse and inspiring career in banking, museum administration, finance, and as a trustee of numerous cultural institutions.

Son of Helen Quigley and Donald Worner Griffin, Mr. Griffin was born in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania on August 23, 1932. He grew up on the Princeton University campus where his father was general secretary of the Alumni Association. He was a graduate of the Gilman School of Baltimore, Maryland and earned an AB in history from Princeton University in 1955. After serving as Captain in the U.S. Army, he began a 25-year career at First National City Bank where he rose to be a vice president and head of personnel for Citibank’s international division. In 1979, Mr. Griffin joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art as treasurer and vice president for finance. Upon leaving the Metropolitan Museum he joined Patterson, Belknap, Webb, and Tyler LLP as treasurer. After 35 years commuting to New York City, Mr. Griffin chose to work closer to home and his family, and joined Wilmerding, Miller & Co., Inc., an investment advisory firm in Princeton, as vice president and secretary from 1992 until the present.

Mr. Griffin served as treasurer on the Boards of the New York Historical Society, the New York Society Library, International School Services (ISS), AMIDEAST (America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc.), and as a trustee at Morven Museum and Garden. Mr. Griffin was deeply committed to The Ivy Club in Princeton, where he served as the graduate board president from 1982 until his death. He was a long-standing member of the Century Association, the Anglers Club of New York, and Pretty Brook Tennis Club.

Mr. Griffin is survived by his wife of 56 years, Barbara Moorehead Griffin; his three daughters, Barbara Griffin Cole, Cynthia Griffin Ferris, and Sarah Griffin Thompson; his sons in-law, Christopher A. Cole, Timothy G. Ferris, Newell M. Thompson; and nine grandchildren.

He and his wife lived on a working sheep farm in Hopewell where he was a passionate amateur stonemason. When not working on his legendary argillite stonewalls, he could be found in the vegetable garden or on his tractor mowing the fields. He loved nothing better than to prepare a homegrown feast for his family and friends in their warm, welcoming kitchen. In the winter, after the first cold snap, the call went out, “Ice at Jimmy’s!” Skaters of all ages joined with him to play fast and furious shinny hockey on the Griffin’s pond.

He was widely known for his gentle, gracious and selfless manner, his work ethic, and his unwavering values. An optimist with a keen appreciation for individual talent in all walks of life; he was a rare person who inspired others to be better.

A memorial service celebrating the Life of James Q. Griffin will be held at the Princeton University Chapel on June 22, 2015 at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to the James Q. Griffin Memorial Fund at the Princeton Area Community Foundation (15 Princess Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08525), which will support education, leadership, and Jim’s other charitable interests.

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Mark Lawrence

Mark MacKenzie Lawrence, 59, passed away on Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at his home in Holmdel, New Jersey. He was born in East Liverpool, Ohio to the late Frederick and Barbara (MacKenzie) Lawrence.

Mark grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, where he moved to in 1961. He graduated from Denison University in 1977 and moved to Florida, where he pursued his passion for scuba diving and underwater photography for many years, cultivating his lifelong fascination with and love of the ocean and marine life. In addition to working at Pro Dive in Fort Lauderdale and Ocean Dive in Key Largo, he worked for Scuba Diver magazine, reviewing the best locations for coral reef exploration in the Gulf and the Caribbean. He loved to regale his friends and family with tales of his many adventures from this time in his life, including close encounters with sharks and morel eels. He moved to New York City as a commercial photographer, later moving to New Jersey and working for a digital photography equipment company, and most recently, in cyber security with Protected Mobility.

He was devoted to his son, Alexander, who filled his life with joy and with whom he shared his love of science and exploring nature. He was the enthusiastic leader of Cub Scout Den 7 in Holmdel, with whom he shared many adventures and his gift for encouraging those around him to try new things with patience and humor. His laugh and love of life will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his loving son Alexander Schlag Lawrence; his former wife, Elisabeth Schlag Lawrence; his two sisters, Lisa Porter Lawrence and Deborah MacKenzie Lawrence and her husband Peter TenEyck Clinton and a niece, Comfort MacKenzie Clinton.

A Celebration of Life was held at Christ Church Shrewsbury Episcopal on Saturday, June 6, 2015 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent in Mark’s memory to www.Reef.org to support Mark’s immense passion for reef conservation and underwater life. Please visit Mark’s memorial website at www.johnedayfuneralhome.com.

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Ruth Goodman

Ruth Goodman, 87, of Princeton passed away Thursday June 4, 2015 at Merwick Care and Rehabilitation Center, Plainsboro following a long illness. Born in Antwerp, Belgium, she had resided in Princeton since 1968. She was a self-employed artist who worked for many years with Michael Graves.

Daughter of the late Harry and Louise Sandhouse; she is survived by her husband, Lionel Goodman, a son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Sandy Goodman of Montclair, New Jersey, a daughter and son-in-law, Debbie and Jack Harnatkiewicz of Swansboro, North Carolina, and five grandchildren, Justin, Jessica and Joey Harnatkiewicz, Sarah and Sydney Goodman.

Friends were asked to call on Tuesday June 9, 2015 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Wilson-Apple Funeral Home, 2560 Pennington Road, Pennington. The interment will be private. Condolences are welcome at www.wilsonapple.com.

Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org).

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Elizabeth Brown

Noted fashion historian, Elizabeth Logan Schmeck Brown died on May 19, 2015 at her home in Skillman, New Jersey with family at her side.

Known to her friends as Rikki, Elizabeth was born on September 7, 1918 in Ancon Canal Zone, Panama, the daughter of Henry Penuel Schmeck and Pansy Blossom Logan. Henry was a civil engineer, employed by the Panama Canal Company during the construction of the canal; Pansy was a proper Kentucky belle.

Her family lived in California and Oklahoma, then settled in Texas, where she attended the University of Texas at Austin. Elizabeth transferred to Cornell University in Ithaca New York, which became one of the most significant moves of her lifetime. She loved Cornell, and there began a life-long fascination and love affair with fashion and fashion history. She developed that interest more deeply, spending a year in New York City working at Lord & Taylor and attending the Art Student’s League. Upon returning to Cornell, she received her Bachelors’ Degree in 1940 and her Masters’ Degree in 1945. She taught textiles and clothing and curated the university’s extensive costume collection. It was at Cornell that she met her husband Walter D. Brown, who was teaching Naval students in the V-12 program during World War II. They married at Cornell’s Sage Chapel and were together for 62 years, until Walter died in 2006.

Her passion for costumes and all things related, especially sewing machines and patterns, began to manifest itself at this time and continued throughout her life. After Cornell, Elizabeth and her husband lived in the Solomon Islands, Maryland, then Pittsburgh. They raised four boys, born between 1946 and 1953. The family lived in Chicago, Philadelphia, and finally settled near Princeton, New Jersey in the 1960’s.

Elizabeth was a teacher at heart, and dedicated her life to enriching the lives of her family and community. Her vast knowledge of fashion and textiles was indispensable not only to her own professional development but also to the many institutions that she contributed to and advised. Never content to be a bystander, she was an active participant in many professional organizations, especially the Costume Society of America (CSA), of which she was a founding member. She was named a Fellow of the Costume Society in 1992. She served on the CSA Board of Directors and as the Parliamentarian for many years.

She worked in the fashion industry for McCalls, Butterick, and Uno. She lectured, appraised, and amassed a huge collection of costumes, sewing machines, and all manner of related objects. In her collecting, she had a loving co-conspirator in her late husband Walt; and her sons David, Ned, Ken, and Walt Jr. indulged her interests and supported them. Ultimately, she amassed a renowned clothing collection which is now housed at several institutions, including The Elizabeth Schmeck Brown Gallery at Cornell University, the Smithsonian Institution, Houston Community College, the Fashion Institute of Technology, The Museum of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the University of Rhode Island, and numerous others. Her sewing machine collection grew to the hundreds and was featured by the International Sewing Machine Collectors Association, of which she was a proud member.

She was an inspiration to so many in her field and reveled in meeting new members and continuing to learn from everyone she met. She also belonged to a panoply of organizations that supported women in colleges, Cornell alumni, and the value of family education in schools.

She was an active member of many organizations including the American Association of University Women, Princeton United Methodist Church, New Jersey Association Family and Consumer Sciences, American Association Family and Consumer Sciences, Van Harlingen Historical Society, Historical Society of Princeton, International Textile and Apparel Association, Daughters of the American Revolution, New Jersey Association of Museums, International Sewing Machine Collectors Society, Costume and Textile Group of New Jersey, American Association of State and Local History, Cornell Alumni Association, Cornell Women’s Club, Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Omicron Nu, and Alpha Lambda Delta. She served as chair of the Somerset County School Boards Association and president of the Montgomery Township Board of Education.

She is survived by David H. Brown and Wendy L. Brown, and their son David M. Brown and his wife, Heather P. Brown; Walter D. Brown, Jr.; Ned L. Brown and Karen Murphy; and Kenneth M. Brown and Rebecca G. Brown, and their children, Johanna, Peter, and Sarah.

Memorial contributions in Elizabeth’s name may be made to the Costume Society of America Endowment, P.O. Box 1723, Mendocino, CA 95460-1723.

A private ceremony will be held in Princeton Cemetery.

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Patricia Klensch-Balmer

Long-time Princeton resident Patricia Klensch-Balmer died on April 27, 2015 at the age of 89 after a long illness. Pat was born March 6, 1926 in Little Rock, Arkansas, the eldest of 5 children to Frederick Balmer and Gertrude (Banister) Balmer.

Her father, a Swiss born restaurateur who operated restaurants in Switzerland, Arkansas, and Illinois was a talented musician known for playing every instrument in the band. He inspired Pat’s life-long appreciation of music while her mother — a one-room school teacher in the rural south — instilled her with a love of learning. From 1931 to 1935 Pat and her family lived in Switzerland, before moving back to Arkansas and eventually settling in Chicago in 1942. After graduating from Wright Junior College with a degree in English, Pat worked for a time as a reporter at a local newspaper.

In July 1953, Pat married Richard Klensch at Saint Paul’s Church in Princeton. While married, Pat worked at the Institute for Advanced Study where she became acquainted with Albert Einstein and was proud to have typed some of his papers. Following her divorce in the late 1960’s, Pat worked for Mathmatica, a notable think-tank of the time located in Princeton Junction. In the mid-1980s Pat went on to work for the Carnegie Institute for the Advancement of Teaching as an assistant librarian.

On a personal level, Pat collected books and was equally passionate about music, learning to play the cello and attending performances of the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Tanglewood regularly. She was famous for her baking skills, especially her fudge, which inspired tears of appreciation at first taste.

Throughout her life Pat embraced adventure, from learning to fly a Piper Club aircraft to exploring North America, Africa, and Switzerland. Julia Bernheim, Pat’s friend of over 40 years and travel companion on safari in Africa, said the two talked almost every day and just laughed together. Her youngest brother Guy, recalls “she imbued me with a sense of wonder and was more like a mother than a big sister,” exposing him to the arts and bringing the outside world of learning and history into their home.

Pat is survived by her brothers, James, Ronald, and Guy Balmer, along with her nephews Guy and Mark Balmer, and Sean Bolen. Memorial Mass will be held in her honor on June 13, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Paul’s Church in Princeton, New Jersey followed by a reception.