Town Topics

Henry Jandl

Henry Jandl, 93, of Richmond, Va., died January 3 in Richmond. He was an emeritus professor of architecture who served on the Princeton University faculty for 35 years.

A native of Spokane, Wash., he graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and won a nationwide competition for graduate study at Princeton , from which he earned an M.F.A. in 1937. That same year he was awarded the Paris Prize, one of the highest student honors in academic architecture, to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He also studied at the School of Fine Arts at Fontainebleau, France.

A faculty member in the School of Architecture from 1940 to 1975, he designed numerous private homes and civic buildings, including the borough halls in Princeton and Hightstown. He also designed additions to the Westminster Choir College and Princeton Country Day School.

He was an influential teacher who offered courses in construction, design, and architectural materials. A proponent of contemporary design, his work stood out amidst the more traditional architecture in the Princeton area.

A key figure in the growth of the School of Architecture, he aided its emergence as a center for the exchange of architectural ideas. He was appointed in 1969 as executive officer in charge of departmental administration under Robert Geddes, the school's first dean. As the school entered the urban planning field in the 1940s, he co-directed a 1946 conference on planning that attracted leading architects from around the world, including Robert Moses, Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe.

He served on the University's advisory board on design and was secretary-treasurer of the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni. He also served as an officer or member of several professional associations, including the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the American Institute of Architects, and the National Institute of Architectural Education.

After his retirement from Princeton, Prof. Jandl moved to Richmond, where he served as a volunteer at hospitals, schools and churches.

Predeceased by his first wife, Gertrude Ward Jandl, and a son, H. Ward, he is survived by his second wife, Nancy; a daughter, Margaret Jandl; a brother, Rudolph; seven stepchildren; 14 step-grandchildren; and three step-great-grandchildren.

Elizabeth Nebus

Elizabeth "Elsie" Nebus, 93, of Princeton, died January 27 at the University Medical Center at Princeton.

Born in New York City, she moved to South Brunswick in 1933 and most recently to Acorn Glen Assisted Living in Princeton.

She retired in 1999 at the age of 88 from the Host Marriott chain on the New Jersey Turnpike, where she served as a waitress for 43 years.

She attended Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Milltown.

Wife of the late Sylvester (Jim) Nebus and mother of the late Kathleen Speranza, she is survived by a daughter, Jacqueline Wadsworth of Princeton; four grandchildren; and eight great- grandchildren.

A private funeral service was held on January 31 at The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, with the Rev. Msgr. Walter E. Nolan officiating. Burial was at Holy Cross Burial Park in South Brunswick.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Monmouth Junction First Aid and Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 5, Monmouth Junction 08852.

Josephine Peiser

Josephine "Jo" Peiser of Princeton died January 30 at The University Medical Center at Princeton, following a seven-year battle with cancer.

A long-time resident of Princeton, she spent her childhood years in New York, where she met her husband, Peter Peiser, a Squibb Corporation executive and later president of Convatec. They were married in Wimbledon, England, and lived in London and Paris before returning to the United States in the 1970s.

Mrs. Peiser was a talented interior designer who worked at Altina's Custom Interiors.

She is survived by a daughter, Caroline Peiser of Fulham, England.

The funeral service was February 4 at Trinity Church.

Memorial donations may be made to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.

Arrangements were under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home.

Giorgio Petronio

Giorgio Petronio, 69, of Princeton, died January 26 at home.

Born in Trieste, Italy, he grew up during World War II with memories of bombings, dislocation, and postwar reconstruction.

He earned a degree in economics from the University of Trieste and an MBA from the School of Business and Administration in Turin, Italy. He then spent 16 years with Procter and Gamble, working in various positions in Italy, England, and the United States.

He joined Johnson & Johnson in 1975 as managing director of J&J International in Italy, where he was appointed vice president four years later. With his wife Elena he relocated from Rome to Princeton in 1979. In 1982 he became Company Group Chairman for J&J's Asia-Pacific Region; and in 1992, Company Group Chairman for Latin America. He retired from Johnson & Johnson in 1998 to form his own consulting company, which afforded him time to enjoy his favorite pastimes 8B reading, meditating, arguing with friends, and playing tennis.

Due to the international nature of his work, he felt at home with friends on virtually every continent, but particularly cherished his family home in Princeton.

A memorial Mass will be held on Friday, February 6 in the Church of Saint Charles Borromeo in Skillman.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor's choice.

Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home.

Hans K. Sander

Hans K. Sander, 79, of Princeton, died February 1 at the University Medical Center at Princeton.

Born in Germany, he attended the Institut Montana in Switzerland and emigrated to the United States in 1941. He attended Columbia University and received his M.F.A. in architecture from Princeton University in 1955.

An architect and planner, he was professionally associated with Walker, Sander, Ford and Kerr Architects of Princeton, and with the St. Louis-based firm Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum. He later opened Sander Associates on Nassau Street as a sole proprietorship. His work included Lenox headquarters in Princeton, and buildings at Rutgers University and Princeton University.

A longtime Princeton resident, he served on the Princeton Regional Planning Board for more than 25 years, for many of them as its chairman. His efforts helped produce the Princeton Master Plan, the Open Space Plan, and the Zoning Ordinance. His work with the American Institute of Architects subcommittee on design was rewarded with his election as a Fellow of the A.l.A. in 1976.

He is survived by a daughter, Leslie Sander of Wilmington, Del.; a son, Whitney of Los Angeles; a sister, Hilda Winterer of Northampton, Mass.; and his friend and long time partner, Yvonne F. Bleiman.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 5 at the Nassau Club.

Memorial donations may be made to Princeton Township Open Space, Finance Department, Township of Princeton, 400 Witherspoon Street, Princeton 08540.

Margaret T. Sprout

Margaret Tuttle Sprout, 100, of Princeton, died January 26 at home following a brief illness.

Born in Painesville, Ohio, she had been a Princeton resident since 1931, when her husband, Harold Sprout, joined the faculty of the Politics Department at Princeton University.

She attended Oberlin College, where she received a bachelor of arts degree in 1925. She later earned a master's degree in geography from the University of Wisconsin in 1929.

She was a partner in her husband's work as a scholar of international relations at Princeton University from 1931 until his retirement in 1969, after which the couple continued their research and writing as research associates at the Princeton Center for International Studies. Together they co-authored or co-edited several works widely accepted as standards in their fields. In 1978 they published The Context of Environmental Politics: Unfinished Business for America's Third Century, their eighth book together and fourth study on environmental politics.

Mrs. Sprout served on the Princeton Township Board of Health for five years and worked toward the merger of the Township and Borough. She served the Princeton Regional Health Commission as both secretary and chairperson for 21 years until her retirement in 1993.

A longtime member of the League of Women Voters, she served as president of the Princeton Area League from 1944 to 1946 and held many positions supporting the League over the years. In the 1940s she campaigned for the desegregation of Princeton's public schools.

She was involved in many community activities through the years, including the Council of Community Services, Cub Scouts, Campfire Girls, and the American Field Service.

As a result of hosting a Belgian exchange student in 1953-54 she began a lifelong relationship with Claudine de Leener and her family in Belgium, and an interest in international travel.

Her love of nature and concern for the environment came together in her participation in establishing the Gray Farm Neighbors, Inc. She chaired the grounds committee for many years and saw her efforts recognized with the dedication of a picnic table and benches.

She researched and wrote histories of her family of origin, the Tuttles, and of her husband's family.

On the occasion of her 100th birthday, the Office of the Mayor of Princeton Township issued a proclamation declaring November 21, 2003 to be Margaret Sprout Day.

Predeceased by her husband in 1980, and by a sister, Charlotte Tuttle Lanigan, and a brother, Allen Tuttle, she is survived by a daughter, Elisabeth McDonald of South Salem, N.Y.; a son, Donald of Somerset; a sister, Elisabeth Tuttle of Mercer Island, Wash.; three grandsons; and five great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 7, at the Princeton University Chapel. Interment will be private.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the Education Fund of the Princeton League of Women Voters, c/o Frieda Gilvarg, 240 Hartley Avenue, Princeton 08540; or to The Student Conservation Association, SCA Center for Conservation Service, 689 River Road, P.0. Box 550, Charlestown, N.H. 03603-0550.

Arrangements are under the direction of The Kimble Funeral Home.

Dorothy E. Warren

Dorothy Ellsworth Warren, 92, of Princeton, died January 29 at the University Medical Center at Princeton, of complications from Alzheimer's disease. Her family was at her bedside.

Born in Lyons, she settled in the Princeton area with her family in the 1920s. Retired in 1974 to Ft, Lauderdale, Fla., she returned to Princeton in 2002 to be with her family.

She was employed at Lenox Co. for several years before becoming a quality control supervisor at Heinemann Electric Company in Lawrenceville for 24 years.

She enjoyed golf, tennis, entertaining in her home, and automobile trips.

She was predeceased by her husband of 50 years, William B3Jake" Warren; her brothers Albert, John, and Walter Ellsworth; and her sister, Eleanor Pocino, She is survived by two sisters, Gertrude Brooks of Plainsboro, and Mildred Coughlin of Beaverton, Ore.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, February 7 at 10 a.m. at Saint David the King Catholic Church in Princeton Junction. There will be no calling hours. Interment will be in Florida.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Greater New Jersey Chapter, 12 Roszel Road, Princeton 08540; or Saint David the King Catholic Church, 1 New Village Road, Princeton Junction 08550.

Phyllis B. Dodge

Phyllis Boushall Dodge, 80, of Pownal, Vt., died January 17 at home after suffering a heart attack on Christmas Eve.

She attended the Moravian Seminary in Bethlehem, Pa; Miss Fine's School in Princeton, and Wells College in Aurora, N.Y. It was during her years in Princeton that she met her future husband, Cleveland E. Dodge Jr.

She was the author of Tales of the Phelps Dodge Families, published by the New York Historical Society in 1987. A history of the Dodge family from the 17th to the 20th century as copper entrepreneurs and philanthropists, it received acclaim as a social history of New York City.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years; a sister, Martha "Fritzie" Tottenham-Smith of Princeton; a son, Cleveland III of Montreal, Que.; two daughters, Alice Berkeley of London, England, and Sally Mole of Manchester, Vt.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service was held on January 24 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Williamstown, Mass.

Elizabeth H. S. Cook

Elizabeth Hence Hewson Starkey Cook. 88, of Princeton, died February 2 at home. She also had residences in Bay Head and Gulfstream, Fla.

Born in Red Bank, she was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Borden L. Hence. She moved to Princeton in 1948 as the wife of the late Austin Starkey. She was previously married to the late William B. Hewson and later to the late George R. Cook.

As the widow of three Princeton University alumni she was always interested in the activities of the University. She was devoted to her husbands, her family, and to her many close friends in the communities in which she lived.

A charter member of The Bedens Brook Club, she also belonged to The Nassau Club, The Present Day Club, The Gulfstream Golf Club, Gulf Stream Bath and Tennis Club, The Little Club, and The Bay Head Yacht Club.

Predeceased also by a son, Ross K. Hewson, she is survived by three sons, Austin Starkey Jr. of Pennington, Samuel Starkey of Princeton, and William Hewson Jr. of Darien, Conn.; two stepdaughters, Connie Moore of Philadelphia and Allison Elston of Oklahoma; a brother, Borden Hence of Red Bank; 14 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church on Friday, February 6 at 11 a.m. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Princeton University, P.O. Box 46. Princeton 08540; or Trinity Episcopal Church, 33 Mercer Street, Princeton 08542.

Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home.