Marvin R. Reed

Marvin R. Reed, Jr. died peacefully on October 12, 2020 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 89 years old. A resident of the greater Princeton area for over 60 years, he moved to Stonebridge at Montgomery in Skillman, New Jersey, five years ago. Marvin served as mayor of Princeton Borough from 1990 to 2003.

Born July 30, 1931 to Marie and Marvin R. Reed Sr. in Vineland, New Jersey, Marvin lived his early years in South Jersey. He graduated from Vineland High School in 1948 and attended Rutgers University on a state scholarship. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1952.

Shortly after college, Marvin was drafted into the U.S. Army at the time of the Korean War. After his initial training, he was sent to the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was selected to work on the guided missile system program. His service and experience in the South and at the Arsenal would forever shape his lifelong commitment to public service and civil rights.

After his discharge in 1954, he began a 31-year career with the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) in Trenton as the assistant editor of the NJEA magazine. His professional career evolved quickly, and he soon became Director of Communications for the NJEA. He also took on leadership roles in New Jersey school and college development efforts and taxation and municipal reform issues until his retirement in 1986.

In 1957, Marvin discovered Princeton while residing with several friends on Jefferson Road. His life changed forever in 1958 when he met Ingrid Wagner, also from Vineland, who was working in New York City while he was in the NYU Graduate Communication program. They were married a year later in Vineland and settled in Princeton. They soon became active members of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Princeton.

Early in 1961, the Reeds purchased their first home in one of Morris Milgram’s planned communities called Glen Acres in West Windsor — a small cluster of suburban homes designed specifically to foster the integration of Black and white families. Marvin and Ingrid would go on to have two children, David and Liza. The family felt lucky to spend their childhood growing up in this special place and continue to maintain connections with their many Glenview Drive neighbors.

In 1974, the Reeds moved to Princeton Borough where their family could walk and bike to town and school. In 1984 then Mayor of Princeton Borough, Barbara Sigmund, asked Marvin to run for a seat on the Borough Council which he won. Following Sigmund’s death in 1990 Marvin became Mayor, a post he would hold for 13 years. He will be remembered for his contributions to dozens of public projects, local, regional, and State, as well as his management of the relationship between the Princeton community and Princeton University. His legacy lives on in many ways. Marvin led the effort to redevelop the Princeton Public Library, the Albert Hinds Plaza, adjacent retail spaces, and Spring Street parking garage.  In addition to town administration and policy development responsibilities, he enjoyed presiding over weddings and was proud to have married over 500 couples during his tenure! While Mayor, he served on the League of Municipalities Executive Committee and chaired its Cable Television Study. He was also appointed to the State’s Local Unit Alignment, Reorganization and Consolidation Commission (LUARCC) and served as President of Downtown New Jersey.

Following his years as Mayor, Marvin served as Chair of the Redevelopment Task Force of New Jersey Future, on the Princeton Planning Board, and took an integral role in the relocation of Princeton Hospital and the redevelopment of the hospital’s former location.

In 2018, Marvin and Ingrid were awarded the Leslie ‘Bud’ Vivian Award for Community Service by the Princeton Area Community Foundation honoring their combined lifetime of service to dozens of local, regional, and State level projects, committees, and organizations.

Throughout their adult lives Marvin and Ingrid maintained a strong interest in the arts and travel. They were enthusiastic supporters of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Princeton Opera Festival, and Arts Council. As followers of theatre, opera, and film, they often made these activities the focal point of their travel adventures around the world including memorable visits to Colmar, France, the American West, and regular visits to the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. In lieu of a traditional vacation home, they acquired a small apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in partnership with good friends. This proved to be a magnet for family gatherings as well as providing a home base for their energetic interest in everything New York City.

Further details of Marvin’s life and contributions to the Princeton community can be found in the Princeton Personality profile from the November 7, 2007 issue of Town Topics and the August 2011 issue of Princeton Magazine with a story about his life and partnership with Ingrid.

Marvin is survived by Ingrid, his wife of 60 years, a son David Reed and his wife Nan of Orinda, California, and a daughter Liza O’Reilly and her husband Tom of Hingham, Massachusetts, as well as granddaughters Cecilia, Jacquelyn, and Agnes O’Reilly, and grandson Owen Reed.

To celebrate Marvin’s life, consider: a walk around downtown Princeton, a ride on the FreeB Marvin I or Marvin II, a visit to the Princeton Public Library, a stop at Hinds Plaza, or a donation to Princeton Community Housing (pchhomes.org) to honor Marvin’s commitment to affordable housing and helping people live a better life.

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Irwin Litt, M.D.

Irwin Litt, M.D., of Princeton, New Jersey, passed away in August of 2020 at the age of 83. Irv was born, raised, and educated in Philadelphia, attending South Philadelphia High School for Boys, and completing his undergraduate and medical training at Temple University. He interned in Brooklyn, New York, and was subsequently commissioned as a Captain in the United States Air Force, serving as a General Medical Officer. 

He returned to Temple University to complete his residency in radiology and a fellowship in interventional radiology, and soon after joined what is now the University Radiology Group in New Jersey. Irv practiced with this group for his entire career, specializing in mammography and dedicating himself to women’s health for decades. He mentored medical students and residents and worked tirelessly on behalf of his patients. He loved his profession.

Irv lived a full life with his wife of 57 years, Barbara. His three children and their spouses as well as eight grandchildren brought him much joy. He loved them all. In his free time, he was a music enthusiast with a passion for jazz, blues, classical music, and opera. He loved theater and visiting New York City, as well as travel, always with his trusty camera by his side. Irv was an avid reader of newspapers, magazines, medical journals, and books. For years he audited classes at Princeton University and later attended classes at the Senior Resource Center, and he enjoyed spending time with his friends in the Old Guard and 55 Plus social groups. 

Private funeral services were held due to COVID. Charitable contributions in Irv’s memory may be sent to The Jewish Center in Princeton (thejewishcenter.org) or Greenwood House (greenwoodhouse.org).

To send condolences to the family, visit orlandsmemorialchapel.com.

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Brigadier General Guy Keller Dean III

On October 11th 2020, loving husband, father of two, and grandfather of three, Brigadier General (Ret.) Guy Keller Dean III died at the age of 80. Guy was born in Princeton, NJ, in October of 1939 to Guy K. Dean, Jr. and Marion F. Dean. 

He spent his childhood in Plainsboro, NJ, and attended Princeton Country Day School through 1955. Guy then studied at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia, graduating in 1958. Guy went on to Rutgers University, where he rowed varsity crew, sang in the Glee Club, acted in the Queens Theater Guild, and enjoyed fraternity brotherhood at Delta Sigma Phi, graduating in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. 

After college, Guy enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving on active duty as a Special Agent with the Intelligence Corps at NATO Headquarters and in Paris, France. Guy transferred to the U.S. Army Reserves in 1966 while pursuing a career in banking over the next 30 years. Guy was commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army Reserves in March of 1968. Later, he graduated from the National Graduate Trust School at Northwestern University in 1974 and earned a Master of Arts in Business degree from Rider College in 1981.

Guy worked at various banks in New Jersey, becoming Vice President and Senior Trust Officer at PNC Bank at Palmer Square in Princeton, NJ. In 1993 Guy’s service with the Army Reserves ended and he transitioned to the New York State Guard where he reached the rank of Colonel. In 1995 Guy began a new civilian career as well, becoming a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Life Underwriter with MetLife Securities, where he worked for the following 25 years. In 2004 Guy Joined the Veteran Corps of Artillery State of New York, the state’s oldest military command, where he rose to the rank of Brigadier General in 2017 at the time of his retirement. Guy’s military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the New York Conspicuous Service Medal, the New York Meritorious Service Medal, and numerous others. 

Throughout his 55 consecutive years of service in the armed forces and two careers in business, Guy volunteered on several boards, including the Princeton YMCA and Mercer Medical Center, was a founding member and treasurer of the Buck Hill Conservation Foundation, was President of the New Jersey Association of Financial and Insurance Advisors, and enjoyed membership in the Princeton Rotary Club and the Nassau Club of Princeton. Additionally he was active in many genealogical and patriotic organizations, serving as New Jersey chapter Vice President of the Society of the Cincinnati, President of the Military Society of the War of 1812, and he held leadership positions with many other organizations such as the Society of Colonial Wars, the Sons of the Revolution, the Baronial Order of the Magna Carta, and more.

Guy was a lover of history, classical and jazz music, Tiger and Scarlet Knight football, dog walks throughout the Princeton and Rocky Hill nature ways, and being active with Trinity Church Princeton.  He was especially fond of peaceful summers in Buck Hill Falls, PA.

Guy is survived by his wife of 50 years, Victoria; his daughter Wistar, son-in-law Andrew and granddaughter Elizabeth Wallace of Norwalk, CT; his son Andrew, daughter-in-law Ashleigh, grandson Aston and granddaughter Amelia Dean of Jacksonville, FL; his sister Marion and brother-in-law Peter Hall of Gloucester, VA; and his brother John Dean of Canyon Lake, TX. 

A private service with burial was held for immediate family on 17 October at Trinity Church, Princeton.  A larger memorial service will be planned for a later date. Donations in Guy’s name would be appreciated to the Buck Hill Conservation Foundation (buckhillconservation.org); Trinity Church, Princeton (trinityprinceton.org); or the Society of the Cincinnati (societyofthecincinnati.org).

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Daniel B. Rew

Daniel B. Rew, 60, died peacefully at home with his family in Bay Head, NJ, on October 12, 2020. He spent the last year with family and friends, painting, baking, and walking in between treatments for colon cancer.

Dan was born on September 6, 1960 in Berkeley, CA, to Ella May Green Rew and David Robertson Rew. Ella and David met in California after growing up as children of missionaries in Kenya and the Belgian Congo respectively, a unique perspective on life that Dan found invaluable. They raised Dan and his siblings Ritch and Sherry around the world, moving between California, Paris, Texas, and Connecticut. In 1982 Dan graduated with a Bachelors in Environmental Science at Texas A&M and set off for New York City to attend the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies.

He met the love of his life over a drafting table at the University of Virginia where he then graduated with a Master of Architecture in 1987. Dan and Pam were married at the Bay Head Yacht Club on September 26, 1987.

Dan believed in books. He treated himself, family, and friends to books at every opportunity. He believed in lines and never forgetting his sketchbook. He loved towers and careful details. He could hold whole buildings in his mind, turning them over to make them better, more responsible, more comfortable. And always simpler. He believed in starting a project by reading a book and starting the day with a long breakfast. He believed in running a quick six miles to let himself think. He believed in not trying to be perfect.

He composed his complex buildings with trace paper and careful models. Over his career, he received countless AIA design awards, leading several carbon-neutral and sustainable research facilities, laboratories, and an emerging technology and innovation center. He was proud to become a partner at CUH2A and eventually a Design Director and Vice President of Sustainability at HDR Architecture. His projects were located across the world and included infectious disease research, a library and a residence for students at the Cape Eleuthera Institute, and a tiny playhouse for his three daughters.

Dan spent his time running dozens of marathons, playing weeknight basketball at the neighborhood park, and watching his girls in countless sailing regattas. He rarely missed a Texas A&M football game, loved racing his brothers-in-law to the top of Stratton Mountain, and made his mother’s lace cookies every Christmas.

Dan and Pam raised their three daughters in Princeton to be confident and curious about the world. He adored them with passion and pride, his only regret was leaving them too soon. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Pamela Lucas Rew of Bay Head, NJ, and their three daughters: Margaret Rew of Washington, DC, her husband Owen Weinstein; Jane Rew Buckley of New York City, her husband Mike Buckley; and Julia Rew of New York City. To add to those riches Pam and Dan spent the last ten months doting over their first grandchild, Kailie Ella Buckley. He will be greatly missed by his brother, Ritch Rew, and sister, Sherry Nunez, their families; and his many beloved in-laws, out-laws, running buddies, colleagues, and friends. We are indebted to Memorial Sloan Kettering’s many years of research that informed the thoughtful care and chemo regimens that kept Dan comfortable over the past year.

Father Dowd, a family friend who married Pam and Dan, will be holding a private family service this week. The Rew girls will travel this spring to spread his ashes in the places he loved the most. Once it is safe for a larger gathering, Dan asked that we host a celebration of his life with his community of friends and colleagues. If you would like to attend this event, please contact the family at remembering.dan.rew@gmail.com.

We have established a memorial fund at the University of Virginia School of Architecture in Dan’s name. You can make a contribution at givenext100.com, or by mailing a check to: School of Architecture Foundation, Campbell Hall P.O. Box 400122, Charlottesville, VA 22904. Indicate in special instructions “For Dan Rew Memorial Fund.” Our hope is that these funds will support students as they too create a library which will enrich their study and passion for architecture.

Thank you to our family — loud and loyal fans of Dan. Thank you to the many, many people who have reached out with stories and condolences.