Dr. Roger Thomas Ward
Contributed by Circuit Court of Cook County Associate Judge Stanley L. Hill
Circuit Court of Cook County Associate Judge Stanley L. Hill attended Northwestern University during the time Dr. Roger Ward was a student. Hill wrote the following statement in his memory:
“I last saw Roger before his death here in Evanston, in May 2018 during the 50th Anniversary of the Bursar’s Office Take-Over at Northwestern University, a sit-in at NU where about 100 of us, often now referred to as the B100, conducted a sit-in at NU that led to a better experience for Black students on campus and a better Northwestern.
“It was a pivotal event for a small but growing population of Black students on the NU campus at the time. Already at Northwestern, and in his senior year at NU, Roger had nothing personally to gain by becoming involved and may have even been concerned about suspension and expulsion in his final year at NU, due to participating with us in a 38-hour peaceful protest.
“The University had failed to meet a list of demands, which included calls for NU to desegregate its real estate holdings, admit more Black students, and add a program in Black literature, history and art. Determined more needed to be done to improve the environment for Blacks on campus, on May 3, 1968, approximately 100 Black students occupied NU’s Bursar’s Office (now known as the Office of Treasury Operations at the University).
“We presented demands that represented “a crack that cleaved along cultural fault lines into a fist that did not relax.” Moreover, once agreed to by the University, it was a starting point when the University began meaningful growth. Roger, like the rest of us, took the risk and put himself out there to help. He stepped up and stood out when many others may have sat back and blended in.
“Roger graduated two years before my 1970 class. However, knowing Roger, he most likely would agree, being the intellectual that he was, “find another college if yours has a bookstore filled with t-shirts rather than books.” He was a scholar-athlete who participated in and fully explored his ability to achieve excellence in both academics and a sport. Roger played on NUs Wildcat varsity football team from 1964 – 1967.
“Training to excel in a sport and learning to master a scholarly discipline both require copious quantities of time, effort, focus, and motivation. It is difficult to maximize the development of both sets of skills in tandem without some personal sacrifices. Roger made the sacrifices and succeeded. He understood it is not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It is the will to prepare to win that matters.
“Never limit yourself, never be satisfied, and smile. Moreover, yes Roger did smile. We will all remember his broad smile and those light brown eyes when in his presence seemed to produce a gentle angelic ambiance. Cheers to Roger who made everything more exciting. Heaven gained quite the angel when he left us.”
OBITUARY
A Memorial Service for Dr. Roger Thomas Ward was held Saturday, January 27, 2024, at the Levy Senior Center – Linden Room in Evanston, Illinois. Roger passed away on Dec. 15, 2023.
Roger Thomas Ward was born on January 3, 1947, in Chicago to the late Charter and Louise (Whiteside) Ward. The family was completed with the birth of his brother Guy in 1949.
Roger attended Evanston public schools. His early education was at Foster Elementary, Haven Jr. High, and Evanston Township High School (ETHS) Class of 1964. While at ETHS, Roger was a three-sport athlete in football, wrestling, and baseball. He was selected All-Suburban Conference player at the End position. He qualified for the state wrestling tournament in his junior and senior years, placing second place in the 165-pound class as a senior. He was also a successful baseball pitcher.
Roger received a football scholarship to Northwestern University, where he completed his undergraduate education. He earned a B.S. degree in Math and Physics in 1968.
In 1969, Roger was recruited by IBM in Oswego, New York, to work with other engineers solving the heating issue for the astronauts traveling and landing on the moon. Roger also received a Master of Science degree in applied mathematics in 1970.
Roger also received a Master of Science Degree in Applied Mathematics in 1970. In the fall of 1971, he began his doctoral studies in Engineering Man-Machine Systems at UCLA. He received various fellowships and a Research Assistant position during his tenure as a Ph.D. candidate. Ward received his doctorate in Biomedical Engineering in 1978.
Roger’s early career included employment as an aerospace engineer intern at the Rand Corporation, Jet Propulsion Lab and Hughes Aircraft, where he helped design programs for communication satellites. He later excelled as a bio-medical engineer and researcher while at Martin Luther King Hospital in Los Angeles, investigating biochemical factors for people with sickle cell anemia. He was also a lecturer for Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
As the world moved forward through the unprecedented pandemic, physicians around the globe sought effective ways to treat and save the lives of COVID-19 patients. One treatment option that showed promise was the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for COVID-19 patients with severe respiratory distress. By supporting the heart and lungs, the ECMO machine stabilized patients to allow their body more time to fight the virus.
Because of Roger’s expertise in biomedical engineering, he was sought out by physicians in Los Angeles, to orchestrate their ECMO programs with an around-the-clock ECMO-dedicated staff and with the capability to administer aid to several patients simultaneously with the machines. Roger’s work with “ECMO” was a game changer for COVID-19 and proved to be a lifesaver for many.
Roger had a love for music, especially jazz and hard rock. He attended the infamous Woodstock Music Fest, the Monterey Jazz Fest, and the Berkeley Jazz Fest. He also enjoyed playing Monopoly every New Year’s Eve (as if it involved real money), taking cruises, the Bayou Classic Football game, attending the Taste of Chicago and playing Madden Football until the wee hours of the morning. Additionally, his last venture included years of research while drafting his book on vitamins & health supplements.
In addition to his brother Guy, he is survived by his ex-wife Devyanne Ward, children Joselynn Harrod Ridley, Jeffery Ward (Cynthia), Sarah (Tweety) Harrod, Amber Ward, ex-wife Vivian, 11 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and a host of additional relatives and friends.
