James Paul Begin

James Paul Begin was born on April 19, 1938 and died on March 4, 2023 at age 84.

Born in Greenville, Ohio, Jim was a resident of Princeton, NJ, for 51 years. He joined Rutgers University’s Institute of Management and Labor Relations as an Assistant Professor in 1969 after receiving a PhD in Management from Purdue University. He served as Director of the Institute of Management and Labor Relations (later the School of Management & Labor Relations) at Rutgers from 1979 until 1990 and was named a Distinguished Professor in 1982. He retired from Rutgers in 1999. Jim was an active labor arbitrator and mediator throughout his career at Rutgers University, and was elected to the National Academy of Arbitrators. He also held appointments as a visiting scholar at the University of Warwick, UK, and the Department of Economics at Princeton University.

Jim was a prolific author in the field of industrial relations and human resource management. Among his books are a text with Edwin Beal, The Practice of Collective Bargaining (Irwin, 1982, 1989), Strategic Employment Policy: An Organizational Systems Perspective (Prentice-Hall, 1991), and Dynamic Human Resources Systems: Cross National Comparisons (Walter de Gruyter, 1997). He was the founding President of the University Council of Industrial Relations and Human Resources Programs, an organization whose members are the heads of academic programs in the field of industrial relations and human resource management. At the time of his retirement, he was the School’s Director of International Programs, and developed graduate programs in human resource management with organizations in China, Singapore, and Indonesia.

After retiring from Rutgers University, Jim enjoyed visiting battlefields, particularly those of the Civil War. He visited most eastern Civil War battlefields and supported organizations that worked to preserve those sites.

Jim was active in the Princeton community, having served on the Princeton Township Zoning Board for several terms and on the Board of the Princeton Adult School as well. His favorite volunteer activity, however, was as a coach for youth baseball in Princeton and a strong supporter of the baseball teams of John Witherspoon School and Princeton High School. His son, Robert, played baseball for the Princeton Public Schools and local youth baseball, and Jim provided informal coaching support and assistance for the coaches throughout Robert’s baseball career in Princeton.

Jim was called to active duty in the U.S. Navy in 1957, and served until 1959 on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. He had a lifelong love for sailing and the sea.

In 2020, Jim and his wife, Barbara Lee, moved to Washington, D.C., to be near their son, Robert and his wife, Rachel Snyderman. In addition to Barbara, Robert, and Rachel, Jim leaves two grandchildren, Elias and Emmanuelle Begin, and his sister, Jean Capelli Lindsay of Los Alamos, NM.

Burial will be in Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, NJ, at a later date. A celebration of life will be held locally in Washington, D.C. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Battlefield Trust.

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William Davis Humes

William Davis Humes, respected and admired for his courage, graciousness, and integrity, lived life to the fullest for 86 years until February 28, 2023. He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Anne Baxter Humes; beloved sons Colin Cigarran (Jane Settles Cigarran) of Corvallis, Oregon, and Jason Cigarran (Elisabeth Browning Cigarran) of Atlanta, Georgia; and grandson Anton William Cigarran; together with friends, near and far, and students whose lives were enriched by Bill’s mentorship and teaching.

Bill was the youngest son of Edward and Doris McCaffrey Humes. He was predeceased by his parents and his sister Alice Humes Umlauf. He was very close to his brothers Edward and Harry and his many nieces and nephews, who survive him.

Born in Girardville, Pennsylvania, Bill graduated from Girardville High School, and then studied mathematics at Lycoming College where he earned an A.B. degree and where he played basketball for four years. He went to graduate school at Northwestern University while in the U.S. Navy and earned MEd and EDM Math Education degrees from Rutgers University.

Bill served in the U.S. Navy after college and moved to Princeton, NJ where he taught mathematics at Princeton High School (PHS) from 1960 until his retirement in 2000. Bill also served as an Adjunct Professor at The College of New Jersey and Mercer County Community College.

In addition to teaching math at PHS, Bill hoped to coach basketball. While there was no opening at the time for a basketball coach, there was an opening as coach of the Boys Tennis Team. Bill was interested but knew nothing about tennis so the Athletic Director told him to call Eve Kraft, Director of the Princeton Tennis Program (PTP). That call changed Bill’s life. He learned tennis teaching beginners at PTP, and taught there for more than 40 years. Eve became a lifelong friend, teacher, and mentor.

Bill went on to coach the PHS Boys Tennis Team for 16 years and the Girls Tennis Team for 22 years, garnering more than 650 wins for his teams. He treasured his years coaching tennis. On the court, Bill competed, never giving up, as he did in life, winning singles and doubles tournaments. He was a member of the International Club and played on teams in Canada and the U.S. for many years.

The Director of Tennis at Bedens Brook Country Club for 20 years, Bill also taught beginner tennis at the Princeton Adult School, rigging up a court in the high school gymnasium. He introduced tennis to more than 1,300 adults over 35 years.

Bill was an active tennis volunteer at the local, county, state, and national levels. At the national level, he served on the USTA Davis Cup/Federation Cup Committee and with his wife Anne, who managed the USTA Office of the President, traveled the world attending Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties and other tennis tournaments. He volunteered at the US Open and took great delight leading tours of the venue, a role he took very seriously.

To round out his tennis experience, Bill served as a USTA Tennis Official and officiated at collegiate matches and tournaments in Middle States as well as the Women’s National Grass Courts at Marion Cricket Club.

Bill relished the outdoors. He hiked the mountains of Pennsylvania, the Grand Canyon, rim to rim, and completed 1,700 miles of the Appalachian Trail over the years. He also enjoyed fishing, particularly fly fishing, and was an active member of the Lake Solitude Club in High Point, NJ. At Pretty Brook, he taught youngsters how to fish in the Club’s pond.

He was always happy in the company of his labs, Sport, and later Callie.

Bill was elected to several Halls of Fame including Princeton High School Athletics, Mercer County Tennis, and USTA Middle States. He was awarded the prestigious USTA Eve Kraft National Community Tennis Award and the Mangan Award, Middle States’ highest award for volunteer service in the section.

Bill was a cherished member of the Pretty Brook Tennis Club for 55 years. He is recognized on Pretty Brook’s Wall of Fame for winning 10 doubles championships and in 1983, he earned the Triple Crown, winning the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles. He loved playing singles and doubles and later in life became a doubles specialist and organizer of games for members. Soft spoken and sincere, Bill will be remembered for his sportsmanship.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Princeton Tennis Program: ptp.org, 92 Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08540. Burial will be private.

Family and friends are invited to join in a celebration of Bill’s life on Saturday, April 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Springdale Golf Club (1895 Clubhouse Drive) in Princeton.

Arrangements are under the director of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.

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Marilyn Middlebrook

Marilyn Jean (Corl) Middlebrook, 92, passed away peacefully at Morris Hall Meadows in Lawrenceville, NJ, on February 25, 2023.

Marilyn was born on March 10, 1930, to Luther M. and Esther (Troxell) Corl, in State College, PA. She graduated from high school in 1948 and attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, where she majored in organ and voice. There, on a blind date, she met her future husband, Bob Middlebrook, who was studying engineering and architecture at Princeton University. They married in 1952 and settled in Princeton, and Bob began designing the home that was to be the heart and hearth of their family for 55 years, and the place where they would raise their two children, Carol and David.

Once her children were in school, Marilyn began her music teaching career, starting out at the Penns Neck School and then moving to the Princeton Public Schools, where she taught at Littlebrook Elementary School, Community Park School, and John Witherspoon School. She was full of energy, and she energized her students, inspiring them through song, movement, and the spoken word. Her choir programs were celebrated for their uniquely vibrant and theatrical holiday concerts.

After retiring from teaching, she began volunteering at the Princeton University Art Museum, where she served as a docent for school groups. She crafted her presentations to students with an eye toward engaging young minds and sparking their curiosity. She also volunteered at the Princeton Adult School, where she designed several poetry courses featuring a diverse array of poetic voices. She was active in the early years of The Evergreen Forum at the Princeton Senior Resource Center, and she and Bob were active members of House 4 of Community Without Walls.

Marilyn was passionate about music, culture, and the arts. She loved attending concerts and cultural events at McCarter Theatre and on the Princeton University campus, as well as during her extensive travels throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, Scandinavia, and Africa. She had an active lifestyle and played tennis in the Princeton area for many years. She was an avid hiker, and she loved and appreciated the beauty of nature. She liked to play croquet and was a fierce Scrabble competitor. She created challenging scavenger hunts every Christmas, meant for her
granddaughter but enjoyed by all. She believed in and practiced lifelong learning.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 66 years, Robert Bruce Middlebrook; and many relatives and friends. She is survived by her daughter, Carol Lynn; her son, Robert David (Amy); her granddaughter, Alison; her brother-in-law, John R. Middlebrook (Marcie); and many nieces and nephews. She will be missed deeply by her family and friends.

Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, friends may make a donation to Princeton Senior Resource Center, 101 Poor Farm Road Bldg. B, Princeton, NJ, 08540.

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Harriet Harper Vawter

Harriet Harper Vawter lost her long battle with Alzheimer’s on February 5, 2023, at her home in Pennswood Village, Newtown, Pennsylvania.

Harriet was born in Florence, Alabama. She was a gifted musician, having become a church organist while in her teens in Florence and later in churches outside of Washington D.C. She graduated as Valedictorian of her high school class at Coffee High School in Florence, then continued her studies at the University of Alabama, earning her Degree in Education at Birmingham Southern College. She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority. She taught Junior High School in Birmingham and remained involved in children’s education for much of her life.

Harriet met Jay Vawter in 1958 in Birmingham. They were married in Florence on August 26, 1961.

In 1962 when Jay became a professional Investment Counselor in Washington, D.C., the couple moved to Bethesda, Maryland. Harriet was an energetic volunteer with the Junior League of Washington, D.C., offering assistance at a home for unwed mothers among many other activities.

In 1977 Jay’s profession took him to New York City. The Vawters moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where they lived for nearly 40 years. It was here that Harriet found her real passion, serving as a Docent at the Princeton University Art Museum for over 30 years, two years as Chair of the Docents Association. She was active on the Friends of the Art Museum. She also served as a Trustee of Morven Museum and Garden.

She was a member of the Garden Club of Princeton, the Present Day Club, and the Pretty Brook Tennis Club. In New York City she was a member of the Cosmopolitan Club where she served on many committees. Harriet and Jay were longtime subscribers of the Metropolitan Opera for several decades and also were frequent attendees at the Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Harriet and Jay loved to travel, visiting some 70 countries, with Harriet visiting Libya during the brief time it was open.

In 2014 Harriet and Jay moved to Pennswood Village, a Continuing Care Retirement Community in Newtown, Pa.

In addition to her husband, Jay, Harriet is survived by her brother John Harper and his wife Margaret of Birmingham, AL; daughters Jane Elisabeth Vawter of St. Petersburg, FL, and Nancy Vawter Jackonis and her husband Michael of Manassas, VA; and grandchildren Kasey May Gilliam and husband Andrew of Kailua, Hawaii, and Logan Jamieson Jackonis and wife Cecile of San Francisco, CA.

Memorial contributions can be made to Morven Museum and Garden, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ 08540.

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Jack Galiardo

John W. Galiardo (Jack), 89, a resident of Palm Beach, FL, died March 5 from complications due to a stroke. He was surrounded by his loving family.

Jack was born to parents Joseph and Genevieve in Elizabeth, NJ, where he was raised with his younger brother Richard (all deceased). He attended the University of Maryland, where he met Joan (née DeTurk), who would later become his wife of 62 years. He graduated in 1956. After service in the Army, Jack went on to receive his degree from Columbia Law School in 1962. He began his legal career at Dewey Ballantine in NYC, and later became Asst. General Counsel with E.R. Squibb & Sons in Princeton, NJ, where he and Joan raised their children and resided for 35 years. Jack was then VP/General Counsel for Becton Dickinson & Co., a global medical technology company, where he later became Vice Chairman of the Board before retiring in 2000. He served on various boards well into his retirement,
including Project Hope, VISX, NJM Insurance, and Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Jack was a generous and charismatic man, admired for his gregarious nature, quick wit, and iconic turns of phrase — which will live on for many years to come. He was a 60-year season ticket holder of the NY Giants, a world-renowned antique map collector, gardener, fisherman, voracious reader, grammarian, and consummate wordsmith. To the surprise of many, he loved being retired; he traveled extensively with Joan, spent several winters in Florence, Italy, and shared wonderful times with family and friends at their LBI beach house. And last, but certainly not least, he was a patient, kindhearted grandfather; his grandkids will fondly remember feeding “Poppa’s fish” and eating cheeseballs with him on his lap (often as he balanced a martini).

Jack is survived by his wife, Joan, and his children and their families: Richard and wife Christine, Christopher, Elizabeth and husband Mark Spencer, Gardenia Cucci, Anastasia Millar, and Jack’s grandchildren, Jack, Ellie, Clayton, Harry, Gavin, Luc, Austin Spencer, Holland Spencer, and Marc Millar, plus numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins. They will all miss him enormously. Rest in peace, Big Jack.

Friends of the family are welcome to a celebration of Jack’s life on April 1 in Princeton. Contact the Kimble Funeral Home for details. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to: Project Hope, Southern Ocean Medical Center Foundation (Manahawkin, NJ), or a charity of your choice.