Robert M. Rood
Robert Magruder Rood, known as “Mac,” died Friday, September 16, after a short illness in Columbia, South Carolina. He was 67.
Born in Southampton in 1943, to Helen Rood and Charles Magruder Rood, he was active in the Southampton 4-H Club and the Methodist Youth Fellowship. After graduating in 1961 from Southampton High School, where he played center on the football team and was a member of the honor society, he earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University, where he played lacrosse and graduated cum laude. He married Karen Lane of Southampton in 1965, and subsequently obtained a master’s degree in political science from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. in political science from Syracuse University. He moved to Columbia in 1971 to begin teaching at the University of South Carolina and retired as professor emeritus of political science after having served for a time as vice chairman of the department.
Professor Rood was active in dog obedience training with his own golden retrievers and was a judge for dog obedience trials throughout the Southeast and Midwest. He also was an avid genealogist, tracing family history to early European roots. He and his wife, Karen, visited Southampton each summer and maintained strong ties to many friends and relatives in the area, keeping informed about local issues.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Karen; a son, Jonathan Magruder Rood and his wife, Jamison Cathcart Rood of South Carolina; two grandsons, Nelson Magruder Rood and Benjamin Armstrong Rood; his mother, Helen, of Southampton; three sisters, Linda Rood and her husband Roger Turner of Vermont; Sarah Rood of Southampton; and Beverly Rood and her husband David Huysman of Remsenburg; and five nieces and nephews.
A graveside service will be held at the Southampton Cemetery on Saturday, October 22, at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Southampton Methodist Church, Midlands Golden Retriever Rescue, www.midlandsgoldenrescue.org, Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue, www.fhgrr.com, or Golden Retriever Foundation, www.goldenretrieverfoundation.org.
on Sep 20, 2011