Nicholas J. Serenyi ’52
Nicholas J. Serenyi ’52, a Hungarian-born businessman and generous family head who helped rescue his family from postwar Europe, died on March 8. Born Miklós J. Serenyi on October 26, 1926, in Vácduka, he was one of eight siblings in an aristocratic family. His life was upended by the devastation of World War II and the family spent time in a refugee camp before emigrating to the United States in 1950. Nick earned both his bachelor’s and M.B.A. from Dartmouth and Tuck and began his career at General Electric Corp. before founding Patterson Electric, an insulator company he named after the first American city he glimpsed when entering New York Harbor. He was affable, well read, possessed a sound intellect, and had a European’s grasp of history and geography. His thoughtful letters left an indelible impression on recipients. From 80 to 98 he shared a devoted, joyful, and loving companionship with Nancy Stoner—they were inseparable. He is survived by daughter Alice; granddaughter Emma; half-granddaughters Juliette, Marianne, and Isabelle; brothers Geza and Gabriel ’64; sisters-in-law Margaret, Jane, and Agnes; nephews Nicholas, Robert, Peter, Denis ’96, Kenneth, and Stephen; and niece Juliet ’92. He was predeceased by siblings Peter ’57, George, Margit, and Mary and sister-in-law Annelore.
