Rodman Ward, Jr.

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Rodman Ward, Jr., age 88, died peacefully on March 18th with Susan Hill Ward, his wife of 63 years, by his side. In much the same way as he lived, he entered hospice care with a pragmatic determination and a thoughtful compassion for those whom he left behind. In addition to his wife, he leaves his three children, Margery Garnett (James), Emily Neilson (Lewis Levin) and Rodman Ward III (Gina). He was predeceased by his daughter, Jennifer Oppenheimer (Jonathan). He was inordinately proud of each of his thirteen grandchildren, Susan Conte (Anthony), Sofia Keller (Jared), Madeline Garnett (Alex Cushman) and James Garnett III; Susan, Elliott and John Neilson III, Carolyn, Julia and Rodman Ward; Samuel, Isabel and Nathaniel Oppenheimer. He was delighted by his four great grandchildren. He is survived by his brother Sedgwick A. Ward of Shelter Island.

Born to Rodman and Dorcas (Andrews) Ward, Rod attended Wilmington Friends School and then The George School (1952), Williams College (B.A.1956) and Harvard Law School (LL.B. 1959). The year of law school graduation also saw marriage to Susan, admission to the Delaware Bar and the start of service as a Captain in the US Air Force JAG Corp, which took the family to Kyushu, Japan until 1963.

A distinguished legal career spanning 40 years continued upon his return to Wilmington when Rod joined the firm that eventually became Prickett, Ward, Burt and Sanders. During the 1970’s, Rod became the go-to Delaware litigator for a rising firm named Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and in 1979, Joe Flom asked Rod to leave his successful practice and head the first office of Skadden outside of New York.

In the words of his valued friend, Leo Strine, during this formative period of Delaware takeover law, Rod and the Skadden Wilmington office were at the center of many of the era’s key takeover cases. Among other matters, Rod argued and won the iconic case of Mills Acquisition Co. v. Macmillan, Inc. To Rod’s delight, his convincing advocacy in that case led his adversary to mutter Henry II’s lament, “will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest.”  He was equally proud of his rare foray into Constitutional law, Coalition to Save our Children v. Delaware State Board of Ed. where he represented the state in securing an end to court ordered supervision of the New Castle County schools on the assurance that the schools would treat all students equally.

Rod was an exemplary lawyer-citizen, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, President of the Delaware State Bar Assoc. (1989-90), Member of the D.C. Bar Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, American Law Institute and The American Judicature Society. In 2000, he co-chaired the Courts initiative for Chief Justice Veasy and Governor Carper. He is the co-author (with Folk and Welch) of the revised four volume edition of “Folk on the Delaware General Corporation Law” – Not recommended for light reading.

He was particularly proud of his foresight and hard work in nurturing the seeds of growth at CSC and his valuable service to the board for over 50 years.

Never one to use a simple phrase when Latin would do, Rod drew inspiration from the great Marcus Tullius Cicero, “Si hortum in bibliotheca habes, nihil deerit” (If you have a garden and a library, you will want for nothing). In furtherance of the above, Rod served as a director and/or trustee on many boards including but not limited to: The Delaware Historical Society, The Delaware Art Museum, Winterthur Museum and Gardens and The Garden Conservancy of America.  

Lunchtime almost always found him happily engaged in conversation at his stalwart, the Wilmington Club. He also enjoyed memberships at The University Club of New York, The Wilmington Country Club, The Vicmead Hunt Club, and the GCI Coffee Klatch.

In 2001, Rod defined “of Counsel” as “reciting useful parables to glazed eyed younger lawyers and doing good works about town.” It also meant spending more of the winter in Cape Town, South Africa and more of the summer on Great Cranberry Island, Maine. Rod’s many passions included History (both ancient and local), Shakespeare, Opera, Landscape Gardens and Gardening.

Always curious, with a charming and intellectual wit, his life was led full speed ahead and invariably ready for whatever came next. Obstacles existed only to be overcome with a laser like mind connecting the dots to come up with a joke. He relished the punch line and the chance to deliver it.

A true son of Wilmington, Rod was able to practice law at the pinnacle of his chosen profession in his own hometown, driving himself the twenty minutes to and from the house he built on his grandfather’s land. He spent his days advising the titans of business and was home for dinner by 6 o’clock.

In his own words, “It would be a fair summary of my life to paraphrase Churchill: In 1959, I married Susan Hill and lived happily ever after.” His was a life fully lived and a job well done.  He will be greatly missed.