Friends, admirers mourn Frank Taplin

A Renaissance man dies at age 87.

Obituary appears in the obituary section.
By: Jeff Milgram
   Frank E. Taplin, who died Sunday at 87, was a Renaissance man who had an enthusiastic curiosity about science, a love of literature and a musical talent that ranged from classical to hot jazz.
   He was also a generous benefactor to Princeton University, his alma mater, and was the primary donor for an intimate chamber music space that bears his name, Taplin Auditorium, located in Fine Hall.
   A trustee emeritus of the Institute for Advanced Study, Mr. Taplin was one of the leading organizers of the campaign to preserve the Institute woods that adjoins the Institute and Princeton Battlefield State Park.
   His other interests included the environment, education and human rights.
   "He had a great curiosity about science," recalled Rachel Gray, associate director and secretary of the corporation of the Institute for Advanced Study. "He had a curiosity for mathematics. … Frank had a passion for literature, for words."
   In fact, Mr. Taplin spent a year in London rereading the novels of Henry James, said Institute for Advanced Study Professor John Bahcall, an astrophysicist.
   "Of course, his interest in and knowledge of music was broad and deep," Professor Bahcall said. "But it was that way about many things. I can remember when I did not know him well and hearing from him that he was going to spend a year in London. I asked him what was he going to do there and he stunned me, silenced me, when he replied: ‘I am going to read all the novels of Henry James again.’ When I saw him on his return, he said, ‘Yes, I did that.’"
   He had a list of accomplishments that few people can claim.
   In addition to being a trustee for the Institute for Advanced Study, Mr. Taplin was a skilled administrator, fund-raiser and a patron of the arts. He was assistant to Princeton University President Robert Goheen and president of the Cleveland Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera Association in New York.
   Mr. Taplin graduated from Princeton University in 1937 with a degree in history and went to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.
   A native of Cleveland, Mr. Taplin moved to Princeton in 1957. He was a member of Princeton University’s Department of Music Advisory Council, the Council on University Resources, the Council of Friends of the Princeton University Library and an honorary member of the Art Museum Advisory Council.
   Gifted with perfect pitch, he performed with first-class professional musicians and enjoyed playing classical music as well as jazz. He long held a union card of the American Federation of Musicians in Cleveland.
   He frequently held evening "music seminars" in his Armour Road home, dazzling his friends with his piano skills.
   "He wasn’t a guy who crowed about his achievements," said Scott Burnham, chairman of Princeton University’s Department of Music. "He just kept on achieving."
   Professor Burnham said Mr. Taplin was the primary donor for Taplin Auditorium. "Without him, it would not have happened," he said.
   Mr. Taplin had a special interest in astronomy.
   "He would call me up in the office and ask me about the latest discovery he had read about in The New York Times or elsewhere regarding astronomy and would expect an instant (answer)," Professor Bahcall said. "More often than not, I would have to scurry around, calling friends to find out where I could find the scientific exposition of the latest thing that Frank was interested in. Often, I first heard from him about new discoveries in astronomy."
   He was a frequent visitor to the Institute’s Tuesday luncheons.
   "I was amazed to learn Frank was 87," Professor Bahcall said. "In conversations with me, he seemed too boyishly enthusiastic for a 60-year-old. I last saw him about 10 days before he passed away and he suggested getting together after the next Tuesday luncheon he could attend in 14 days. He never made it and will be much missed. I don’t think I ever met a nicer or more generous person."