Canning Rogers Childs, Jr., a longtime Haddonfield resident, died on March 13 at the age of 85.Â
Roger graduated from Shortridge High School, Indianapolis, graduated magna cum laude from Princeton 1957, and earned a doctorate in Chemistry from Harvard University in 1962. He published two papers with Konrad Bloch who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1964 for his research on cholesterol biosynthesis. Roger had a top-secret security clearance when working on uranium enrichment. Additionally, Roger earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce in 1963, graduating first in his class. The dean of Wharton voted him his best investment student.Â
Roger was one of the founders of the bank equipment leasing industry, working for over 40 years for institutions such as Chase Manhattan Bank and CoreStates Financial.
He was the only six-year President of The Philadelphia Securities Association. He was a life member of The Saint Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia, a member of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution, and a member of The Society of the Sons of St. George. He was a master Mason, Scottish Rite 32nd degree, an Eagle Scout and a member of Elm Club at Princeton. He was a direct descendant of Governor John Reading, first native born Governor of New Jersey, and an early Trustee of Princeton University. His grandfather, David Parrington Childs, was an original founder of Acme Markets, and his other grandfather, Oscar Alfred Jose, was an original developer of Palm Beach, Fla. He was also related to Thomas McKean and Francis Hopkinson, two signers of The Declaration of Independence.
He is survived by two children, Canning Rogers Childs, III (Jennifer Ann) and Catherine Jean Jose Childs Buzgo (Christopher Buzgo), and four grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister, Margaret.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The Saint Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia (www.standrewsociety.org)
His funeral will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Haddonfield, but due to concerns about coronavirus, a date has not been determined. Please check www.KainMurphy.com for updates on service information.
