William F. Murdoch, Jr.

(Age 87)

Real Estate Executive –

Devoted Husband,
Father, Alumnus

William Francis Murdoch, Jr. died on July 30, 2018, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. A 50-year resident of Princeton, NJ, Bill is survived by his wife of 60 years, Mary Cullens Murdoch; their four children Mary M.(Molly) Finnell (Sam) of Skillman, NJ; Elizabeth M. Maguire (Henry) of Lewisburg, PA; Timothy R. Murdoch (Pascale Lemaire) of Montreal, Quebec; and Kate M. Kern (John) of Bethesda, MD. He is also survived by nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a sister, Sarah Schneider; and eight nieces and nephews. Bill was preceded in death by two sisters Esther Hauser and Francis Schalch; and one brother, James C. Murdoch.

Bill was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, attended Bethel Park High School, and graduated from Princeton University in 1952 with an A.B. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs. Bill rowed on Princeton’s heavyweight varsity crew where he developed a lifelong passion for rowing, and he was also a member of Princeton’s R.O.T.C, Triangle Club, and University Cottage Club. His love of the University continued for 65 years, and he served his class of 1952 in numerous leadership capacities, including class president.

Bill enlisted as a 1^st Lieutenant in the US Army and served as a forward observer in the Korean War. He received an MBA from Harvard in 1956 after which he relocated to Pittsburgh to run the family business, Murdoch Chevrolet Company. Concurrently, he developed a community shopping center in Bethel Park, PA which sparked his interest in real estate.

In 1961 he joined Booz Allen and Hamilton and four years later moved to The Rouse Company where he helped develop the planned city of Columbia, MD. In 1974 he joined Merrill Lynch Hubbard, a REIT, which went public in 1988 as HRE Properties. Over 15 years Bill was President and CEO, and a trustee of HRE. He also served as President of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), Director of Rockefeller Center Properties, and Trustee of MGI Properties. During the last three decades of his life, Bill worked with his daughter Molly developing, expanding and managing the family’s real estate assets. The Murdoch Building, currently under construction in Pittsburgh, is located on the former Chevrolet property. 

Bill derived much satisfaction from his successful business endeavors, particularly when they provided for the extended family. Bill enjoyed summers vacationing in Ontario on the French River, surrounded by friends, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He will be remembered most for his kindness, integrity, and sound judgment. A memorial service will be held at the Princeton University Chapel on December 22, 2018 at 2 p.m. with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation www.alzinfo.org.

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Stanley M. Adelson

Stanley M. Adelson, the Director of Personnel Services at Princeton University from 1968 to 1988, died peacefully on July 2 at Stonebridge in Montgomery, NJ. He was 94.

Adelson, who first came to Princeton in 1962 to serve as the commander of the Air Force ROTC, became a beloved member of the University community. He developed a deep bond with the Princeton University men’s basketball team, co-founding the Friends of Princeton Basketball group with former Princeton point guard and Athletics Director, Gary Walters ‘67, in 1973. He also helped write a report on the Princeton eating club system and served on the search committee for the men’s basketball coach.

Away from the basketball court, the soft-spoken, genial Adelson and his beloved wife Enid (nee Goodyear), who died in 2011, served as “second parents” for countless Princeton students over the years. His influence extended to the community as he served on the Princeton Human Rights Commission and on a committee that provided scholarships for post-high school vocational training or education.

Adelson’s commitment to diversity reflected his wide-ranging life. He was born in the Bronx, NY in 1923 and was educated in New York City schools, including Stuyvesant High School, from which he graduated in 1941. After completing his freshman year at New York University, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and saw action in World War II from 1942-45, flying 25 combat missions out of Italy as a member of a B-24 crew.

After returning from the war, Adelson returned to college with the aid of the GI Bill and earned a liberal arts degree from American University in 1949. In 1950, while working for the National Labor Relations Board, he was called back to active duty during the Korean War with a commission in the Air Force Reserve. His first assignment took him to Gander AF Base in St. John’s, Newfoundland where he met and married Enid.

He later accepted a Regular Air Force Commission, making him a career officer, serving in several locations, including three years in London with the 3rd Air Force. As part of his duty, Adelson underwent extensive training in Education at the Air University, setting him on the path that eventually landed him in Princeton.

Focusing on education and training, Adelson was assigned to Princeton to serve as the commander and professor of Air Science of the Air Force ROTC. During that stint (1962-67), he was preceptor for a politics course and an advisor to a Woodrow Wilson School undergraduate project team studying a Department of Defense problem. In his last year with the military, he served as Director of Curriculum and as a faculty member for a Management Program at the Air Force Institute before retiring as a Major.

In 1968, he returned to the Princeton area for good to accept a newly created position as Director of Staff Training and Communications. While immersing himself in his new role, Adelson, an avid sports fan, became a fixture at Jadwin Gym on game nights for Princeton men’s basketball, bonding with the players and coaches alike.

Former Princeton Director of Athletics Walters credits Adelson with forging lifelong friendships.

“For those of us on the ‘Stan Team’ who were fortunate to benefit from his presence as undergrads and still later, we have lost an MVP — most valued person,” said Walters.

“Stan had a heart of gold that was always on display. His legacy and influence is etched in the DNA of the Princeton basketball program.”

Another Tiger men’s hoops standout, Ed Hummer ’67, points to Adelson’s ability to connect with Princeton players and students across generations.

“I have valued Stan’s friendship since I was 18 years old and will miss him greatly,” said Hummer. “I have never known anyone who had close friends who cared greatly about him and who will mourn his passing that covered anywhere near as broad an age range as Stan.”

One of those friends, Brian Taylor, a Princeton basketball star in the 1970s who went on to play in the ABA and NBA, notes that Adelson helped influence him to take on a special mentoring role.

“Stan was always there for me and I’ll never forget his words of wisdom,” said Taylor.

“The times I visited Stan, he encouraged me to come back to Princeton to give back and share with students, athletes, and youngsters in the community words of advice and knowledge, much like he did for me and many others. He loved the news when I shared with him that I had formed the Brian Taylor Leadership Institute which will feature Stan’s ‘Listen & Learn’ mentorship model.”

In the view of current Princeton men’s basketball head coach Mitch Henderson, Adelson made an indelible impact on his Jadwin community. 

“Stan’s contributions to the history of Princeton basketball are immeasurable,” said Henderson.

“For decades, he has been a champion of the program as well as all of the men who have passed through it. We are all better people for having had him in our lives.”

In addition to his late wife Enid, Adelson was predeceased by his sister Laura (Somers) of Washington, D.C. and his brother Bernard of New York City, and is survived by many nieces and nephews, including Joan Adelson Dwyer of New York City and Robie Goodyear Henriksen of Vancouver, Canada.