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Board Chairman Rodney B. Wagner Dies NEW YORK (28 March 2005) — Rodney B. Wagner, a member of the Population Council’s board of trustees since 1996 and its chairman since 2001, died from a cerebral hemorrhage on March 24 in a Florida hospital, surrounded by his wife and children. Newly installed Council president Peter J. Donaldson, who had known and worked closely with Wagner, said: Rod was exceptionally thoughtful and generous, and he cared deeply about the Council. He was a forceful advocate for improving reproductive health and rights in the United States and around the world. He was also deeply committed to improving the lives of poor families in developing countries and to helping achieve a sustainable balance between people and resources. Rod demonstrated this commitment through his work with the Council and other nonprofits, including the World Wildlife Fund, where he was a trustee for almost two decades. He also served on the boards of the American University of Beirut, the Friends of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, and the Lewis T. Preston Education Fund for Girls. Rod’s death is a great loss to the Population Council and to our field. His passing is being mourned by Council staff around the world. I will miss his positive spirit and guidance very much. The Council will feel his loss for years to come. Wagner joined J.P. Morgan & Co. in 1954 after receiving a B.A. degree from Yale University. For much of his career, he worked with clients in developing countries. Wagner served for three years as general manager of Bank Almashrek in Beirut, a Lebanese bank in which Morgan held a minority interest, before being named to head the firm's Middle East and Africa unit in 1976. From 1979 to 1984, he also oversaw the firm's business in the East Asia and Pacific region. He became vice chairman of the Credit Policy Committee in 1984. In 1962 Wagner joined the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington, DC, first as deputy director and then as director of the Office of Capital Development and Finance in the Near East-South Area. In 1965 he served as deputy director of the USAID mission in Ankara, Turkey. Wagner was named Morgan's vice chairman and director and became a member of the Corporate Office, the firm's senior policy and planning group, in 1993; he retired in 1996. A memorial service will be held April 22 at 12:00 noon at The Powerhouse, located in the American Museum of Natural History.
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