Gary Bernard Mount
May 14, 1944 – December 29, 2025
Gary Bernard Mount died peacefully at his home, Terhune Orchards, Princeton, NJ, on Monday, December 29 following a courageous battle with glioblastoma brain cancer. He was known for his generosity, his impact on the agricultural community, and his deep love of family.
Born in Princeton, NJ, in 1944, to Bernard Mount and Lillian Meyer Mount, Gary was a lifelong Princeton resident. Growing up on Mount Farms, located along Route 1, Gary and his three brothers had many adventures living along the canal on a working apple orchard.
Gary went to Princeton High School where he met his future wife, Pam. He then went on to attend Princeton University where he graduated magna cum laude in 1966. Gary and Pam married in 1967 and subsequently spent three transformative years as Peace Corps volunteers in Micronesia, in the South Pacific.
Upon their return, they purchased the 55-acre Terhune Orchards in Princeton. At the time, no one had bought farmland in the area to actively farm in decades, but they were determined to build a thriving, working retail farm. It was important to Gary to pursue a career and lifestyle that allowed him to spend as much time as possible with his children as they grew up.
Their hard work and vision paid off. Today, Terhune Orchards has grown into a successful 250-acre retail farming operation that helped ignite the community-based farming movement and has become a beloved destination in Central New Jersey for generations of families.
Gary was a visionary and driving force over the last 50 years for the agricultural and local community. In the early 1980s, through New Jersey Future, Gary spearheaded a grassroots effort that led to passage of the Farmland Preservation Act of 1982. The act enabled farmers to sell their development rights to the state, local government, or a conservation group with a deed restriction limiting future use of the property to farming. Today, a third of New Jersey farmland — including all of Terhune Orchards 250 acres — is preserved in this way.
He was active in securing funding for preservation of the Watershed Organic Farm and served on the board of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association. He was also a commissioner of the New Jersey Water Supply Authority. In addition to his role in preserving farmland and open space, Gary was an impactful leader in many New Jersey agricultural organizations, including the state and Mercer County boards of agriculture, the Mercer County Soil Conservation District, the Trenton Farmers’ Market board, the Howell Living History Farm founding trustee and board, Princeton Agricultural, NJ State Horticultural Assn, president and treasurer; International Fruit Tree Assn, trustee. In 2005, American Fruit Grower Magazine named him Apple Grower of the Year, and in 2012 the International Fruit Tree Association inducted him into its Hall of Fame. He was a mentor to many new and younger farmers, always welcoming and giving advice.
An avid learner his whole life, Gary strove to find new ways to grow crops, new technologies to implement, and always looked for a new challenge or innovation.
Outside of agriculture, Gary was active in the local rowing community. He served as captain, and then treasurer, of the Carnegie Lake Rowing Association for over 25 years, and his passion for rowing remained a central part of his life. A member of the great Princeton Class of 1966, Gary enjoyed hosting annual class dinners and maintained lifelong friendships with his college roommates and classmates.
A devoted father and grandfather, Gary cherished time with his children and grandchildren, planting trees with them on the farm, attending school and sport functions and teaching them about farm life at every opportunity. He also shared his love of travel through family trips and his annual trips with his brothers.
Gary is survived by his wife of 58 years, Pamela Hazenhal Mount; his daughters, Reuwai M. Hanewald, Tannwen E. Mount, who now manage and operate the farm, and their respective spouses Michael S. Hanewald, James H.B. Washburn; and his grandchildren: Maya M. Hanewald, Sasha M. Hanewald, Tess M. Hanewald, Becket M. Washburn, Clayton M. Washburn, Hadley M. Washburn; also survived by son, Mark B. Mount, and brothers Lee Mount, Timothy Mount, and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and relatives. He was predeceased by his brother, William Mount.
Services and Contributions: A memorial service will be held on April 14, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton, NJ. Agricultural research was a central passion for Gary, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to New Jersey Horticultural Society Research Grants (njshs.org) and International Fruit Tree Association Research (fruittree.org/ifta-research-foundation).
Arrangements are under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
Rand Albert Mirante
June 4, 1948 –November 28, 2025
As a boy growing up in New Jersey, Rand loved nature walks and reading about animals, aspiring to be a zookeeper when he grew up. He was an especially accomplished Cub Scout. At a young age he began his abiding interest in military history, collecting toy soldiers and arranging them in elaborate battles in the backyard. His Uncle Roger Sammon inspired a lifelong fascination with the Napoleonic Era.
Following his father, Albert Mirante ’37 to Princeton, Rand studied international politics at the Woodrow Wilson School and was a member of Charter Club with dear friend Shawn Tully. He graduated in the Class of 1970. In 1974, he received his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He served in the United States Army Reserves for six years.
As an Associate at Hunton & Williams Law Firm in Richmond, Virginia, Rand met his two lifelong friends, Tom Crocker and Allen Barringer. Rand was a proud Godfather to Allen’s daughter, Laura Barringer, and to Tom’s son, Edward Crocker. Rand served as a staff attorney for Potomac Electric Power Company in Washington, D.C. As a young volunteer, Rand wrote position papers for Sen. Bill Bradley’s campaign.
He went on to become a Vice President and Associate General Counsel for McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. He was the recipient of the 1990 Corporate Achievement Award. Rand continued to work with McGraw-Hill Legal as an outside consultant for many years, assisting with a significant number of contract negotiations with U.S. and foreign customers.
In 1983, Rand married Christine Bottomley Mirante and in 1987 they welcomed their daughter Alexandra Tarleton Mirante. He was a devoted, loving husband and father and relished time spent with his family.
Rand began a new career with his beloved Princeton University, as a Senior Associate Director of Annual Giving in Princeton University’s Office of Advancement. He traveled extensively for work, including Hong Kong and Austria. He cultivated innumerable lifelong relationships over the course of soliciting and empowering alumni stewardship to the University for 33 years. He was made an honorary member of 10 Princeton University classes after working with each of them on major Reunion development campaigns.
As a University Lecturer in the Princeton University Writing Program, Rand proposed and taught “Treason: from Henry V to John Walker Lindh,” a highly-popular writing seminar amongst freshmen, for five semesters. He took great pride in hearing of his students’ continued developments and successes.
Rand was the author of Medusa’s Head: The Rise and Survival of Joseph Fouché, Inventor of the Modern Police State (2014) as well as noteworthy articles published in The Journal of the American Revolution. He gave talks and led tours on the 1776-77 Revolutionary War campaign to Princeton alumni, federal judges, and George Washington’s own descendants at the Princeton Battlefield. Rand was a tour host and featured speaker on a variety of topics ranging from the fall of New France to the Berlin Airlift on Princeton University’s Alumni Association’s “Princeton Journeys” trips on the St. Lawrence, Danube, and Elbe Rivers and to Normandy. He was a fascinating speaker on these and other topics and was featured on various podcasts.
Together with Chris, Rand was involved with the conservation and education initiatives for the Watershed Institute in Pennington, New Jersey. One of his great joys was supporting Princeton Men’s Lacrosse – going to games at Sherrerd Field (named for his friend John J.F. “Jay” Sherrerd) and beyond with friends, nearly each time with his fellow classmate, colleague, and dear friend, Rear Admiral (Ret.) H. K. Unruh as well as Sam McCleery by his side. In 1999, Rand and Chris were awarded the Beth Tortolani Memorial Cup for distinguished service to Princeton Men’s Lacrosse.
Though his initial childhood dreams of zookeeping didn’t come to formal fruition, he was a devoted friend to his four Welsh Springer Spaniels and enjoyed long walks with them along the Carnegie Lake tow path, Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies Woods, and the Princeton Battlefield.
Rand especially enjoyed British humor and history, from Monty Python and Fawlty Towers to The Rest is History podcasts. Like his mother, Irma Mirante, for whom he was the caregiver in her later years, Rand was an avid lifelong reader, always ready to share a book as a recommendation, loan, or gift. Generous in spirit, ever-curious and kind, Rand was a treasured friend to many, including his Princeton classmates and cousins.
Rand was predeceased by parents Albert and Irma Mirante and brother-in-law Douglas Bottomley. He is survived by Christine, Alexandra, his sister Edith Mirante and brother-in-law John Paisley, sister-in-law Anne Louise and brother-in-law Robert Smit, niece Madeline Smit Corbett, nephew Philip Smit, sister-in-law Michelle Bottomley, nephews Brandon and Barret Bottomley, and many cousins.
A memorial service will be held at the Princeton University Chapel on Thursday, January 15 at 1:30 p.m., with a reception to follow at The Nassau Club.
Donations in Rand’s memory may be made to the American Battlefield Trust and Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK).