Rogelio Pardo Maurer IV

Rogelio was a brilliant shing star at Yale and we were roomates our Sophmore year. He was a a reconteur, scholar, pianist and on the Yale debate team. I was impressed with his ideas, intellectual prowess and and enthusiam for whatever he was doing. I recall entering our suite in December and seeing 2 large identical dolls in boxes staring at me. I asked Rogelio why they were there. He explained that that he was returning to Costa Rica for Christmas and he was bringing his much younger sisters presents. I asked him why they were identical and he smiled and said trust me it's better this way! Always the diplomat. I miss him too. Richard Swift, Branford '84

Friends and comrades for 30 years, I am deeply saddened to find out about his passing today. We got together every year or two to reminisce, and spitball ideas. I will always remember sitting on the couch in his Capitol Hill apartment, when he answered the door to the maid who was returning the key after cleaning the house upstairs. He enquired, "Vivo el gato?" The maid replied, "Si". And Roger replied, "Que lastima", to which I chuckled. Roger said, "Pitz, I forgot you speak Spanish!", and I said, "Y que me encantan las gatas." To which he replied, "Nadia es perfecto!" and we laughed for a minute or two. I will miss his friendship dearly. He was one of the great ones. One in a million.

I am so sorry to have learned belatedly of Roger´s passing. Roger was my professor at the National War College where he encouraged all of us to understand the growing challenge of "ungoverned spaces." We reconnected a decade later when he reached out to me preparing for an interview with Univision on developments in West Africa. It was then that we became friends and would call each other periodically to talk. Roger offered sage advice and was an enthusiastic sounding board as I prepared my first course syllabus to start teaching at Yale. I gave him a biography of the Chevalier de Saint-George as a present for his father, but he decided to keep the book for himself and then learned to play Saint-George´s music. He delighted in learning new, unusual things and he mastered information so quickly. He slao liked to send me photographs of beautiful sunsets and beaches in Costa Rica and "1,000 words photos" like the chicken and egg one below. I introduced Roger to my sister, the poet Ntozake Shange, and the two of them hit it off immediately. He found her work powerful, exhilarating and funny. We would get together at the Metropolitan Club or at Mory's to hear music. I will, of course, remember Roger as a committed democrat with a small "d." During the chaotic withdrawal of USG forces from Afghanistan in 2021, Roger created a network of former Special Forces veterans and friends from government to help identify, rescue, and evacuate Afghan civilians who had been loyal to (and in some cases employed by) the USG. We worked feverishly to locate local NGOs, former local employees and their family members and then pass their bio data and geo-locations to Roger´s contacts in the control tower on the air base. Roger was tireless and selfless in that effort. He pained for the Afghans´ plight and fumed at the impossibly short timeline we had to get people out. One young Afghan teenager became separated from his parents in the crush of the crowds at the gate, and we initially could only identify him by the color of his backpack. Roger remained laser-focused on that youth until his SP brothers could get him to safety. When it was all over, in his thank you note to me, Roger shared the photo below sent from a "buddy downrange" depicting the number of lives saved by Roger´s stealth network of "freedom responders." I am so glad to have known Roger, and I will miss him. My sincere condolences to all of his family. Bisa Williams

Condolences to the family. He led an amazing life with great vim and purpose.

Son, brother, brother in law, friend, cousin, nephew, brilliant, humble, dreamer, giver, charming, compassionate, eloquent, handsome, humanitarian, pianist, artist, musician, patriot, critical thinker, writer, soldier, special forces, veteran, human rights advocate, hero, mentor, connector, creator, art connoisseur, philosopher, curious, fearless, optimist, political commentator, honest, naturalist, direct, journalist, idealist, entertainer, kind, rower, energetic, talented, witty, fun, leader, dramatic, loving, photographer, creative, respectful, collector of memories, historian, enthusiast, force of nature, animal lover, generous, humorous, endless enthusiast, brilliant star, educator, vibrant, anthophile and the family Santa Claus. And the list goes on.

My brother Roger was this and so much more. He always had a thirst for learning and for sharing that knowledge. He found something amazing in the simplest things. His vibrancy, creativity and energy will forever remain with us. As long as we keep him in our hearts and memories, he will live on. I will miss him dearly. May his soul rest in peace.