Carl Emil Schorske

On September 13 2015, Carl Emil Schorske, Dayton-Stockton Professor of History, Emeritus, Princeton University, died peacefully at age 100 at Meadow Lakes retirement community in Hightstown, New Jersey. Over the last half century he was one of the most widely read and influential experts on Austrian intellectual and cultural life during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His essays on Austrian intellectuals, writers, and artists published in American historical journals after 1961; the widely acclaimed book, Fin-de-siècle Vienna: Politics and Culture (New York: Knopf, 1980); and the later essays gathered in Thinking with History: Explorations in the Passage to Modernism (Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998), have shaped thinking for several generations about Vienna’s rich cultural milieu and critical modernist breakthroughs around 1900. His eloquent and insightful prose found a wide international audience: Fin-de-siècle Vienna won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction in 1981 and was translated into ten other languages. Schorske’s brilliant writings and decades of inspiring teaching at Wesleyan University (1946-60), the University of California, Berkeley (1960-69), and finally Princeton University (1969-80) earned him many honorary degrees and a MacArthur Fellowship as one of the first cohort of fellows in 1981. His services to Austria, in explaining to the world and to Austrians themselves the unique intellectual and cultural world of Vienna 1900, won him many high honors there, including Corresponding Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (1984), the Silver Medal for Service to the Republic of Austria (1996), the Ludwig Wittgenstein Prize (2004), the Victor Adler State Prize (2007), Honorary Citizen of the City of Vienna (2012) and finally, on his 100th birthday, the Gold Medal for Service to the Republic.

Carl Schorske was the founding director of Princeton University’s Program in European Cultural Studies, established in 1975. His understanding of modern Central European history and culture was so impressive and his command of German so strong that many thought he must have been born in Europe. In fact, he was born in New York City on 15 March 1915. His paternal grandfather was a German-American cigar maker of leftist convictions; his mother came from a German Jewish family. Thanks to his parents, he learned German early. Schorske attended Columbia University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1936, and then went to study modern European history at Harvard University, guided principally by the famed political and diplomatic historian William L. Langer. As a Langer student, Schorske served in naval uniform during World War II as a member of the research and analysis branch of the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.). Some of Schorske’s earliest publications addressed the challenges faced by Germany in the aftermath of World War II. He began teaching at Wesleyan after leaving military service and finished his doctoral dissertation in 1950. The book based on that dissertation, German Social Democracy, 1905-1917: The Development Of The Great Schism (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1955), was a pioneering English-language study of the German Social Democratic movement and won praise as a classic work for decades after its publication.

While Schorske’s graduate training and initial publications focused largely on political history, he developed strong interests in cultural and intellectual history from an early date. The intellectual historian Jacques Barzun and the literary critic Lionel Trilling were strong influences during Schorske’s undergraduate studies at Columbia. Music was an important strand in his life from early on: in his youth he aspired to be a singer, and he played violin in amateur string quartets through much of his adult life. Anyone who attended a concert or opera performance with Schorske or experienced his insatiable interest in new repertoire saw how central music was to his very being.

Schorske’s teaching, research, and writing shifted increasingly to intellectual and cultural history during his years at Wesleyan, and he developed into a brilliant classroom lecturer. His literary, artistic, and musical sensibilities showed strongly in the almost improvisatory lecture style he employed in his famous courses on intellectual history at Wesleyan, Berkeley, and Princeton. At Princeton he would typically come into the classroom with only minimal notes and then spin out an extended discourse on the topic, often like a long musical riff, knitted together by a sustained metaphoric trope. Generations of undergraduates were enthralled by his lectures — which earned him a place in a Time magazine cover story in May 1966 as one of the ten best American college teachers — just as countless readers were dazzled by his elegant and deeply insightful writings in intellectual history. Schorske believed that graduate seminars should run in as democratic and egalitarian a way as possible, but he was a sagacious, exacting, and constructive reader of his graduate students’ papers and dissertation chapters — which I was privileged to experience during his early years at Princeton.

Carl Schorske’s eloquent discursive style and his wonderfully insightful examining of intellectual and artistic figures in the social and political contexts of their lives by a sort of full immersion technique were utterly personal. His work inspired much emulation, but his virtuosity as a scholar was unique and ultimately inimitable. Those who knew him will greatly miss the wonderful person, but we will continue to have the great joy of reading his work. Professor Schorske’s wife, the former Elizabeth Rorke, died last year after more than 70 years of marriage. He is survived by his daughter, Anne; three sons, Carl Theodore, John, and Richard; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

The obituary was written by Gary B. Cohen (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; for the Austrian Studies Newsmagazine)

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William Alfred Stoltzfus, Jr.

William Alfred Stoltzfus, Jr., a career diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service, died after a brief illness on September 6, 2015. He was born on November 3, 1924, in Beirut, Lebanon, the elder son of William and Ethel Stoltzfus, who were missionaries and educators. He spent his childhood in Syria and Lebanon before attending Deerfield Academy (Class of 1942) and Princeton University (Class of 1946). His studies at Princeton were interrupted by service in the Naval Air Corps which he joined in 1943. After graduating from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs in 1949, he entered the State Department. His fluency in Arabic and deep understanding of the history, politics, and culture of the Middle East contributed to a distinguished career as a diplomat, during which he served in Egypt, Libya, Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait from 1972 to 1976 and concurrently to Oman, the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain from 1972 to 1974. Following his retirement from the Foreign Service he went into banking where he worked in Princeton, New York, and London before finally settling in Princeton in 1990.

In 1954 Ambassador Stoltzfus met his future wife, Janet Sorg, who was a teacher at Beirut College for Women where his father served as president. They were married in the Princeton Chapel in August of that year. They shared a sense of adventure and a commitment to public service over nearly 50 years of marriage before she passed away in 2004.

Ambassador Stoltzfus is survived by two sons, both married, William III of Hopewell; and Philip of London, England; two daughters, both married, Winifred Host of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and Rebecca Dineen of Baltimore, Maryland; his sister Lorna Webster; and 7 grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey at 2 p.m. on October 11, 2015. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Lebanese American University, 211 East 46th Street, New York, New York 10017, attn. Bob Hollback.

Arrangements are under the direction of Alloway Funeral Home.

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Jerry Gildar

Jerry Gildar of Princeton passed on September 3, 2015 at age 74.

Through his charming warmth, artful creativity, and unique, ever-present wit, Jerry touched the lives of all those he encountered. He derived great fulfillment by making people smile, laugh, and feel good about themselves.

A lifelong artist, Jerry worked with many sculptors including George Segal, and J. Seward Johnson, having learned the secrets of the lost-wax process from mentor Herk Van Tangeren. As Johnson Atelier’s Master-Caster, during the 1980s, Jerry contributed to the resurrection of bronze sculpture as part of the Pop Art movement. Sculptures he cast depicting “the-man-on-the-street” engaged in ordinary activities are familiar sights found in many communities in New Jersey and throughout America. Others are found in prominent museum collections, city parks, and sculpture gardens throughout the world.

A graduate of Princeton High, Jerry also attended C.W. Post, Princeton Country Day, and Rutgers Prep, where he was honored to serve on the school’s Board of Trustees. He also worked years ago at Princeton’s Alchemist and Barrister.

Surviving him are: his devoted son, Edward Gildar, his loving daughter-in-law Brenda, and granddaughter, Brooke, of Hong Kong; His sister Sandra and brother-in-law, Norman Arky of Boynton Beach, Fla., (formerly of East Brunswick); his sister Anne and brother-in-law Larry Kaufman of Chatham, N.J.; Blossom and Jerry Lowen of Aventura, Fla., (formerly of Highland Park); Ben and Gail Klein, of University Park, Fla. (formerly of Livingston); many cousins, loving nieces and nephews; his great-niece, and nine great-nephews.

Jerry was predeceased by his wife Charlotte (Chuckie) Slider Gildar; his parents, Alice and Harry Gildar, longtime owners of Jamesburg’s Paradise Club; and recently by his dear friend, Edward Koenig of South Brunswick.

A celebration of Jerry’s life will be held at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton at a future date. There, a memorial fund in Jerry’s honor has been created to which contributions can be made online at http://jerrygildarmemorial.org.

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Albert Franklin Pearce

Albert Franklin Pearce, of Griggstown, New Jersey and North Windham, Maine passed away at Stonebridge in Skillman on September 18, 2015, he was 86. Born in West Virginia, the son of Clarence and Stella Mae Pearce, he was raised in Maine and had lived in Middlesex and Somerset Counties in New Jersey for 56 years.

Frank was a veteran of the U.S. Army, he served as a corporal in Korea from 1951–53 where he installed and operated ship-to-shore radio communications from the front lines to the hospital ships.

Frank graduated from the University of Maine in Orono with highest distinction in 1957 with a BS in mechanical engineering and moved to New Jersey to work for Esso Research and Engineering Company; he worked in the engine lab designing test equipment; engine lubes developing various versions of Uniflo; and the Products Research Division as a senior section head. He retired from Exxon Research and Engineering Co. in 1986.

Frank was a dual member of the Mechanics Lodge No. 66, A.F.&A.M. in Orono, Maine and a past master of the Milltown Lodge No. 294, F&AM; and a member of the Scottish Rite Club of Central Jersey, the 33rd Society, Valley of Central Jersey.

Frank worked for Pinelyne Furniture Company summers during college, and made most of the furniture in their home. He spent summers on Sebago Lake in Maine; had a long interest in flying and was building a Pazmany experimental aircraft. He was also an avid bow hunter and a proud lifelong member of the NRA.

Frank attended Princeton United Methodist Church and was an affiliate member of the East Raymond church in Maine.

Frank is survived by his wife of 65 years, Mildred Pearce; daughter Jennifer Roffel and son-in-law Bill Roffel of California; granddaughter Elena Roffel; grandson Douglas Roffel; brother Russell Owen Pearce of South Portland, Maine; and niece Judy Neal of Parkman, Maine. Frank was predeceased by his sister Stella Mae DeRoche and his two nephews Michael Pearce of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Edward Pearce of Scarborough, Maine.

Visitation will be held 4 to 6 p.m., Friday, September 25, 2015 at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue in Princeton, followed by a Masonic service at 6 p.m. A future memorial service will be held for family and friends in North Yarmouth, Maine.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org, “Albert Franklin Pearce Memorial.”

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Augustine Rhodes

Augustine Warner Janeway (Tina) Rhodes, aged 86, daughter of Augustine Smith and Helen Gulick Janeway, died on August 22nd, 2015, in Haverford, Pa.

Tina was a resident of Perico Bay Club in Bradenton, Fla. and Windrows in Princeton. Tina was born in Phoenixville, Pa. on February 1, 1929. As a child she lived in Phoenixville, Washington D.C., Harrisburg, Pa., and Ventnor, N.J. She moved with her family as her father served in various leadership positions in
government service, including commanding officer of the Pennsylvania National Guard and executive director of the Pennsylvania General State Authority.

After graduating from Oldfields School in Glencoe, Md. in 1946, she spent a postgraduate year at the Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, Pa. before attending the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. After graduating in 1951 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Tina worked as an editor at Curtis Publishing in Philadelphia. Tina was married on August 2nd, 1952 to William (Bill) McKinney at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, Pa. They had one child before Bill died in 1956. On St. Valentine’s Day in 1958, Tina married William Harker Rhodes at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oaks, Pa. Harker adopted Tina’s son Gus, as his own, and they had four more children together: Sandy, Anne, Chris, and Jason. Tina was a skilled and passionate artist. She was very active in musical theater as a young woman. With her sister, Julia Janeway Sibley, she co-wrote a number of musicals which were performed by The Main Line Music Crafters. The 1980’s saw her blossom again with the prolific creation of watercolor portraits. During her later years, Tina wrote a screenplay, “Dinner With Henry Van Dyke”, about the American Presbyterian minister and author whose works involved elevating sympathy for man, fostering companionship with nature, and promoting a reverent view of life.

Whether she was riding horseback, judging dressage competitions, or providing commentatary for the crowds during tournaments at the Jackson Hole Polo Club, Tina had a zest for all things equestrian. She was an excellent bridge player, enjoyed vacationing in Cape May, staying at The Chalfonte Hotel, and sailing with the Corinthian Yacht Club. She supported the Sarasota Symphony and loved to attend concerts at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. She also loved to listen to The Four Freshman. Tina was a member of both Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Anna Maria Island, Fla., and Trinity Episcopal Church in Princeton. A devout Christian, she studied old-testament Greek and Latin, and took graduate courses in divinity at Duke University. While living in Tucson, Ariz., she volunteered at the Casa de los Ninos, caring for abused children. She also offered prison ministry to inmates at the local penitentiary. Her quality of spirit is easily seen in the many religious, humanitarian, and
environmental charities to which she routinely and generously contributed. Tina is survived by her sister, Skee Gilbreath, of Atlanta, Georgia; five children and their spouses (Gus and Cindy Rhodes; Sandy and Paula Rhodes; Anne and Bob Amos; Chris and Carol Rhodes; and Jason and Lisa Rhodes); seven grandchildren (Mariah Rhodes, Nathan Amos, Sarah Amos, Elizabeth Rhodes, Christina Rhodes, Farrah Rhodes Nathan Garfield, Dinah Williams, and Pierce Williams), two great-grandchildren (Julian Thomas and Clementine Garfield); five nieces and nephews (Mariah “Mimi” Wolffe, Clark Price, Letitia “Tee” Canty, Van Price, and Julie George; and a number of great nieces and nephews.

Tina was and forever will be loved by her children, by her extended family, and by people who never knew her but felt the comfort and love from someone during their time of need. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 17 at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

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Richard G. Power

If only we could hear him sing “On Wisconsin!” one more time as we drive across the Wisconsin state line.

Richard G. Power, 86, of Princeton died of natural causes on Friday, September 18, 2015 at Acorn Glen Assisted Living. He was the son of the late Richard James Power and Prudence Mary Power (née McGuire) and was predeceased by his sister, Jean Pink (née Power). He was born and raised in Darlington, Wisconsin and, in the mid-1950s, moved to Haddonfield, N.J. where he and his late wife Barbara A. Power (née Gordon) raised their five children, Susan Power-Miller, Kathleen Power Ellenwood, Jennifer Power, Jeanne Power-Galli, and Ted Power. In the mid-1970s he and his wife moved to Princeton. He was the proud and loving grandparent of seven grandchildren, Bryan, Regan, Teddy, Keith, Alexandra, Carol, and Daniel, and one great grandchild, Fitzgerald.

Richard was an avid tennis player, golfer, and a diehard Wisconsin Badger and Princeton Tiger sports fan. He was a world traveler who loved music, art, dogs, and a good martini (with an olive and a twist). He graduated cum laude from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa in 1951 and in 1955 received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of
Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. Always the entrepreneur, Richard officially began his career at the young age of 10, when he opened his own shoe shine parlor inside of McCarten’s Barber Shop in downtown Darlington. He went on to have a long and successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, working for companies like Smith Kline & French and Johnson & Johnson, before venturing out on his own as the founder of Richard G. Power & Associates and a founding partner of The Sage Group. Just about the only thing he couldn’t do was dance, although he thought his signature dance “the turtle” was way ahead of its time.

A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home on 40 Vandeventer Avenue in Princeton. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: The Voorhees Animal Orphanage — www.vaonj.org and (856) 672-9111.