Kit Helen Hildick-Smith

Kit Hildick-Smith died on April 14, 2018 at the age of 92 in Princeton. She was born in New York City in 1925, the daughter of Fredrick and Eutha Richter. Kit was an adventurous person, who starting flying at age 17 while in college at Bucknell University, class of 1946. She became involved in social service and political activities in New York City and New York State. After World War II she moved to Denver, Colorado for work and more study. In 1948 she moved to Norway where she worked at the U.S. Embassy as part of the Marshall Plan program and its reconstruction of post-war Europe. After two years stationed in Oslo, she was transferred back to Marshall Plan headquarters in Washington, D.C., then next posted to the U.S. Embassy in London. While working in London she met Dr. Gavin (Pete) Hildick-Smith. They were married in Switzerland in 1953 and emigrated to Canada later that year, where Pete continued in his practice of Pediatrics in Toronto and Ottawa.

Two years later they moved to Princeton, where Pete changed careers into pharmaceutical medical research. While raising two sons, Peter and Andrew, Kit served on the Vestry of Trinity Church, on the Board of their Trenton After-School and mentoring program for many years. In 1974 she started a local support group of the N.J. Symphony Orchestra, ultimately serving as a Trustee of the Symphony and as Chair of the Youth Concerts program state-wide. Young Audiences of New Jersey was another similar interest and activity. Environmental concerns and land preservation were also of great importance to Kit in her work with the Stony Brook Watershed Association in preserving land and water and encouraging young people in their programs. Beyond her 63 years as a resident of Princeton, she also lived part-time in West Arlington, Vermont where she supported the Vermont Land Trust in local land conservation.

Kit is survived by her beloved sons, their wives and children: Peter and Beth Kaplan Hildick-Smith of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., and their sons Alex, Jack and Charlie; Andrew Hildick-Smith and Hughie Jacobus of Winchester, Mass., and their sons Gordon, Seth, and Neil.

A small remembrance service will be held at Trinity Church, Princeton, on May 5 at 11 a.m. Memorials can be offered, if desired, to Trinity Church, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, or the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.

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Memorial Service

George W. Pitcher

A memorial service for the late George W. Pitcher will be held on Saturday, April 21 at 10 a.m. in the Princeton University Chapel. The Reverend Sue Anne Steffey Morrow will lead the service which will include readings, tributes and music. A luncheon for family, friends and colleagues will follow at Prospect House.

A Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Princeton University and a trustee of the Edward T. Cone Foundation, Pitcher died peacefully at his home in Princeton on January 12 at the age of 92. He was the author of The Philosophy of Wittgenstein, Berkeley, and A Theory of Perception, as well as the memoir The Dogs Who Came to Stay.

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John C. Borden Jr.

John C. Borden Jr., Fundraiser for Quaker Projects, died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on April 11, 2018. Born in New York City in 1929, he was a descendent of the prominent Borden textile family – which included the notorious Lizzie Borden – of Fall River, Mass. John grew up in New York and Rumson, N.J. and was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy and Yale University. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and was stationed in Alaska before joining the family business, Borden Mills, in 1955.

He married the love of his life — the actress Gloria Jones — in 1955, and they moved to Princeton in the late 1950s to raise a family and become members of Princeton Friends Meeting. Spurred by a keen interest in photography, John founded Gallery 100 in 1960. The popular Nassau Street shop specialized in graphic design, framing, photography, and art supplies, but also featured a gallery of original art, much of it by prominent New Jersey artists from the Roosevelt art community.

John’s true passion, however, lay in world peace, social justice, and care for the underserved. Following the sale of Gallery 100 in the late 1960s, he dedicated himself to non-profit service both locally and abroad. As a professional fundraiser and consultant for the American Friends Service Committee, John traveled extensively to secure grants from European agencies for the support of famine relief, development, and peace programs in Africa’s developing nations. John also served for almost 50 years as Executive Director and Trustee of the Mary Owen Borden Foundation, where he provided grants and support to countless non-profit organizations throughout New Jersey’s Mercer and Monmouth counties. He also helped found and served on the board of Princeton Community Housing, which became the largest provider of affordable housing in Princeton. During his 60 years as a member of Princeton Friends Meeting, he served on virtually every volunteer committee, ran a thriving First Day School and provided significant support when Gloria committed herself to establishing the Princeton Friends School in the 1980s. He was actively engaged in nuclear disarmament efforts over the years. He was also an active and longtime member of Princeton’s Community Without Walls as a member of House 2.

Throughout his life, John was an avid gardener, an enthusiastic tennis player, a patient fly fisherman, and dedicated baseball and opera fan. Predeceased by his wife Gloria in 2014, he is survived by his sister Linda McKean of Rumson, N.J.; his daughters Rebecca Bunnell and Julia Kennedy of Fairfield, Conn.; his sons Thomas of Newport, R.I. and Samuel of Amherst, Mass.; and by the 12 grandchildren and one great grandchild who were his greatest pride and joy.

Gifts in John’s memory may be made to the American Friends Service Committee, 1501 Cherry Street. Philadelphia, PA 19102 or to the Princeton Friends Meeting, 470 Quaker Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540. A memorial gathering will be held at the Princeton Friends Meetinghouse on June 16 at 10 a.m.

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Robert Byrne Baxter, Jr.

Baxter, Robert Byrne; OFM, Conv. passed away on March 22, 2018, in New Albany, Indiana. He was born Robert Byrne Baxter, Jr., to Robert Byrne and Theodora (Tuomey) Baxter in Bay Shore, New York. He was predeceased by his parents and is survived by his uncle Robert N. Tuomey (Joan), sisters Anne B. Humes (William), Elaine B. Tracy (William), Julie Baxter (Robert Robinson), Clare Baxter, and Margaret B. Helmig (Albert); brothers William E. (Robin) and James E. (Felice) Baxter; and five nephews and nine nieces. He professed Simple Vows as a Conventual Franciscan Friar on August 5, 1972, and Solemn Vows on November 1, 1976.

Mass of Christian Burial was held in the Mount St. Francis Chapel at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 5. Interment followed in the Province of Our Lady of Consolation Cemetery on the grounds of Mount St. Francis. Contributions may be made to the Mount St. Francis Retreat Assistance Fund or to Province of Our Lady of Consolation. They may be mailed to 103 St. Francis Blvd., Mount St. Francis, IN 47146.