VINE: Philip, you were part of a remarkable section. Most colleges would be thrilled to have one Rhodes Scholar, but in 1960, Ivy had three. Tell us about them.
PSD: All of Princeton’s Rhodes Scholars in my year were Ivy members: Jack Horton, Ed Pell, and Dan Sachs. Ed Pell was president of Ivy, and was awarded the Pyne Prize, the highest honor given by Princeton to an undergraduate.
VINE: Shown nearby are portraits by Peter Cook of both Dan Sachs and Jack Horton. They were outstanding scholar-athletes.
PSD: Dan was a varsity lacrosse player and a tailback on the football team; in 1957, he scored three touchdowns in a victory over Dartmouth that gave Princeton its first official Ivy League title. For his Rhodes study, Dan went to Worcester College at Oxford, where he won an Oxford Blue as a member of the rugby team, and then to Harvard Law School. Sadly, Dan died of cancer at 28. In 1970, the Daniel M. Sachs Class of 1960 Graduating Scholarship was established in his honor by his friends and classmates. There are currently three Sachs awards each year: one for study at Oxford; one for independent study outside the U.S.; and one to a graduate of Worcester College for study at Princeton’s graduate school. The Class of 1960 subsequently adopted the sponsorship of the Scholarship and made it a legacy of the Class and insured it has continued funding. Jack Horton came to Princeton from Wyoming and was an All-American defenseman on the lacrosse team. Following his Rhodes study at Oxford, Jack spent five years with the Navy and left as a lieutenant. He later served in Washington as Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Jack died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 43.
VINE: There were other campus leaders in your section, as well.
PSD: Yes, both on and off the athletic fields. Frank Szvetecz was the sole Captain of the football team. John McBride was the sole Captain of the hockey team and set the total point scoring record for one season. Vint Lawrence was President of the Triangle Club and Lee Fuller and Ron Fisher were Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively, of the Undergraduate Council.
VINE: It’s an impressive group by any measure! Thank you for speaking with us.
We note that the Section of 1960 served Ivy in many ways following graduation:
Presidents of the Club: Philip Detjens and Charlie Mellon Graduate Treasurers: Charlie Mellon and Philip Detjens Graduate Secretary: Philip Detjens
Board Members: Perry Hall and Kevin Madden