Professor Emeritus Robert E. Ward of Stanford University died at the age of 93 on December 7, 2009, in Portola Valley, California. Dr. Ward was a professor of political science and the first director of the Center for Research in International Studies at Stanford University from 1973 to 1987. He was also a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution. Dr. Ward received his B.A. degree from Stanford University in 1936 and his Ph.D. from the University of California (Berkeley) in 1948. During World War II, he served in U.S. Naval Intelligence, receiving the Legion of Merit award. From 1948 to 1973, Dr. Ward was on the faculty of the University of Michigan. Professor Ward joined the Stanford faculty in 1973, serving as a professor of political science from 1973 to 1987 and Director of the Center for Japanese Studies from 1965 to 1968 and 1971 to 1973.
His principal areas of professional interest were in comparative politics—especially Japanese politics—international relations, and political development. He was the author or editor of eight books and many articles in these fields. Dr. Ward served as president of both the American Political Science Association and the Association for Asian Studies from 1972 to1973. He was a member of the National Endowment for the Humanities National Council from 1968 to 1973 and President Carter's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies from 1978 to 1979. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Social Science Research Council, the Japan–U.S. Friendship Commission, and the American Panel of the United States–Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON). Dr. Ward was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. In 1984, he received the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the government of Japan. He retired from Stanford University in 1987.
Dr. Ward is survived by his daughter, Erica A. Ward of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, her husband, Ralph J. Gerson, and his granddaughters Stephanie and Maddie Gerson, as well as his brother John W. Ward of Kentfield, California, and a niece and nephews.
