Obituaries
Please alert us to the recent death of any other Rhodes Scholar by emailing communications@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk.
We were deeply sorry to learn of the death of Nihal M. Kappagoda, who passed away on 29 August 2026, aged 88.
Born in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka, in 1938, Nihal grew up in Kandy and was educated at Trinity College Kandy and the University of Ceylon, where he graduated with First Class Honours in Mathematics and represented the University in tennis and table tennis. As the first Rhodes Scholar from Sri Lanka, he came to Keble College, Oxford, where he earned a Diploma in Statistics and a Master of Philosophy in Economics, while also playing tennis for his College.
After Oxford, Nihal embarked on a distinguished career spanning five decades in international development and sovereign debt management. He worked at the Central Bank of Ceylon and became Director-General of External Resources in Sri Lanka's Ministry of Planning before joining Canada's International Development Research Centre, serving first as Regional Director in Singapore and later as Vice President of Planning in Ottawa. His subsequent appointments included work at the Asian Development Bank and service as Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat's Technical Assistance Group in London. There he spearheaded its debt-management advisory programme and launched the Commonwealth Secretariat Debt Recording and Management System, which had been implemented in 59 countries by the time of his departure. He was later honoured by the Secretariat for his long-term and outstanding service to its Debt Management Programme.
Returning to Ottawa in 1989, Nihal continued his international work as an independent consultant to organisations including the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and the Canadian International Development Agency, and as a Research Associate at the North-South Institute. He authored and co-authored numerous publications on international debt management and advised central banks and finance ministries around the world. Despite living with severe haemophilia, Nihal pursued a remarkably international career with determination and resilience, travelling to more than 50 countries in the course of his work.
Read full obituary here.
It is with great sadness that we learnt of Sir Anthony Kenny’s passing on 3 August, at the age of 95. He was Warden of Rhodes House from 1989 to 1999, and he and his wife, Lady Nancy Kenny, were much loved by generations of Scholars.
Sir Anthony wrote about his time at Rhodes House: "My wife and I enormously enjoyed the ten years that we lived in Rhodes House. Entertaining Scholars was always a delight, and their Oxford careers provided remarkably few pastoral problems. Travelling the world to observe Selection Committees was fascinating, and I was enormously fortunate to have as collaborators devoted National Secretaries, many of whom have remained lifelong friends."
During his time as Warden, Sir Anthony oversaw a significant expansion of the Scholarship, adding extra Scholarships to the Caribbean, to Kenya, to New Zealand, to the Southern African region, and to Europe–though the latter was relatively short-lived.
As well as being Warden of Rhodes House, Sir Anthony had a distinguished career. He was a philosopher who focused on the philosophy of the mind, of religion and of scholastic endeavour. He also had a focus on Wittgenstein, and was an executor of the related literary estate. Notable roles within the University of Oxford included Master of Balliol (1978–1989) and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University (1984–2001). Further afield, he was a member of the Board of the British Library before becoming its Chairman (1993–1996). He was also elected as a Fellow of the British Academy and served as a member of its Council before subsequently becoming Vice President and then President (1986–88).
If you would like to share recollections of Sir Anthony, please reach out to us at communications@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk. We will ensure they are shared with his family and added to our archives.
We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Richard (Bill) Johnson, a distinguished Rhodes Scholar, political scientist, author, and one of South Africa’s foremost liberal public intellectuals.
Born in England and raised in Durban, he studied history and political science at the University of Natal, where his outspoken opposition to apartheid and commitment to liberal values marked him from an early age. Awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford, he completed graduate studies in politics before returning as Fellow and Tutor in Politics, serving the College for 26 years and later as Senior Bursar, while inspiring generations of students through his scholarship and teaching.
Throughout his career, Bill combined academic rigour with fearless public engagement. He became an internationally respected authority on South African and French politics, writing extensively for the London Review of Books, The Times, and The Sunday Times, and authoring influential works including How Long Will South Africa Survive?, The Long March of the French Left, South Africa’s Brave New World, and his memoirs Look Back in Laughter and Foreign Native. Returning to South Africa in 1995 to lead the Helen Suzman Foundation, he remained an unwavering advocate for liberal democracy, constitutionalism, and accountable government, never hesitating to challenge prevailing orthodoxies or those in positions of power.
"I’m retired now, but I’m still writing. That’s part of me. It’s what I do. It’s what I am. I’ll carry on doing what I’m doing until I drop," he shared with us for his Oral History interview in December 2024. Bill continued writing and contributing to public debate until the final months of his life, displaying the same intellectual curiosity and resilience that had defined him throughout his career, even after overcoming a life-threatening illness in 2009. His sharp analysis, formidable historical knowledge, and steadfast commitment to truth left an enduring mark on scholarship, journalism, and public life.
Read full obituary here.
Read Richard's Oral History interview with the Rhodes Trust here.
We were saddened to learn of the death of R. James Woolsey at the age of 84.
Born in 1941 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he graduated from Stanford University before coming to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He later earned a law degree from Yale University, laying the foundation for a distinguished career in public service and national security.
James devoted much of his professional life to government service, beginning on the National Security Council before serving as general counsel to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Under Secretary of the Navy during the Carter administration, and an adviser on arms control to presidents of both political parties. As a special negotiator on conventional arms reductions in Europe, he helped advance negotiations that culminated in the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty. Appointed Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1993, he led the agency during a period of significant change following the end of the Cold War, navigating both institutional reform and the challenges posed by the Aldrich Ames espionage case.
Throughout his career, James was recognised for his commitment to public service, strategic thinking, and expertise in international security. His contributions to American national security and arms control left a lasting mark, and we extend our deepest sympathies to all who knew him and to those he leaves behind.
Read full obituary here.
We were sorry to learn of the death of Thomas English Hill Jr., a distinguished philosopher and leading scholar of Kantian moral and political philosophy.
Born in 1937 in Atlanta, Thomas grew up mainly in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in 1959 and was elected a Rhodes Scholar that year. At Oxford, he completed a Bachelor of Philosophy in philosophy in 1961, studying with P. F. Strawson, Gilbert Ryle and J. O. Urmson, among others. He subsequently returned to Harvard, completing his doctorate in philosophy under John Rawls in 1966.
Thomas began his academic career at Johns Hopkins University and later taught at Pomona College before joining the University of California at Los Angeles in 1968. In 1984, he moved to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he became Kenan Professor of Philosophy and later Professor Emeritus. His scholarship ranged across ethics, political philosophy and the history of ethics, with particular distinction in interpreting and extending Immanuel Kant's moral philosophy. His many books included Autonomy and Self-Respect (1991), Dignity and Practical Reason in Kant’s Moral Theory (1992), Human Welfare and Moral Worth (2002), Virtue, Rules, and Justice (2012), and Beyond Duty (2022).
Over a long and influential career, Thomas explored questions of dignity, autonomy, self-respect, justice and moral obligation, making important contributions both to Kant scholarship and to contemporary ethical thought. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, delivered the Tanner Lectures on Human Values in 1994, served as President of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association, and received multiple awards for his teaching at UNC Chapel Hill.
Read full obituary here.
We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Thomas Rowe Jr. on 11 July 2026, aged 83.
A Rhodes Scholar and distinguished scholar of civil procedure, federal courts, complex litigation, and judicial remedies, Tom was born in 1943 and was a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He graduated from Yale University in 1964, tied for first in his class, before coming to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, where he earned a Master of Philosophy in 1967. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1970 and began his legal career as a law clerk to US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.
Tom joined the Duke Law School faculty in 1975 and remained there for more than three decades, serving as associate dean from 1981 to 1984 and senior associate dean in 1995–96. He also taught at Georgetown, Michigan, Virginia, the University of California at Los Angeles, and Pepperdine, and worked with the US Department of Justice and as a visiting scholar at the RAND Corporation’s Institute for Civil Justice. A prolific and influential scholar, Tom wrote extensively on civil procedure, federal jurisdiction, class actions, judicial remedies, constitutional law, and reform of the civil justice system. He was a longtime co-author of Civil Procedure and also wrote books on federal courts and constitutional theory.
Elected to the American Law Institute in 1977, Tom contributed nearly five decades of expertise to its work, including authoring the background paper for its study Paths to a “Better Way”: Litigation, Alternatives, and Accommodation. His scholarship and contributions to federal civil rulemaking reflected a sustained commitment to improving the administration of justice, and Tom will be remembered for a lifetime of distinguished scholarship, teaching, and service.
Read full obituary here.
We were saddened to learn of the death of Paul Bartlett Van Buren.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Paul was educated at Dell Rapids Public Schools and Tustin Union High School in California before graduating magna cum laude from the University of South Dakota in 1960. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, he went on to University College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar, where he read Law, before completing a Juris Doctor at Stanford Law School.
Paul began his legal career in Sioux Falls before moving to California, where he served as legal counsel for Owens Corning Fiberglas Corporation, General Electric's Nuclear Energy Division, and later AT&T/Pacific Bell. During the restructuring of the Bell System, he played a significant role in resolving complex antitrust and commercial litigation. Following his retirement in 1994, he devoted three decades to providing pro bono legal services through Senior Adults Legal Services in San Jose. Throughout his life, he remained closely connected to the University of South Dakota, serving as chair of the USD Foundation and vice-chair of the Alumni Association, while also maintaining strong ties with Stanford Law School and the Rhodes community.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Paul was an enthusiastic sportsman, accomplished genealogist, and dedicated civic volunteer. He served in leadership roles with Kiwanis, the Los Altos Community Foundation, the Los Altos Cultural Association, and the City of Los Altos Financial Commission, and was an active member of his local church and several historical and charitable societies. His generosity, commitment to service, and enduring engagement with the Rhodes community will be remembered with gratitude.
We were deeply sorry to learn of the death of Malcolm Lloyd Treadgold on 3 July 2026.
Born in 1942, Malcolm studied economics at the University of Western Australia, graduating with honours before being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1963. At Oxford, he completed a Bachelor of Philosophy, before returning to Australia as a research scholar at the Australian National University, where he completed his doctorate in 1969 on economic growth and inflation in the Philippines.
In 1975, Malcolm joined the University of New England as Professor of Economics, a position he held until his retirement in 2007, when he became Emeritus Professor. Over more than three decades at UNE, he was a dedicated teacher, doctoral supervisor, mentor and departmental leader. His wide-ranging scholarship encompassed development economics, economic history, macroeconomic policy and the economies of the Asia-Pacific. He was particularly known for his work on small-island economies, including Bounteous Bestowal: The Economic History of Norfolk Island (1988), as well as research on Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Malaysia, the Torres Strait and the Philippines.
Malcolm will be remembered as a rigorous and thoughtful economist whose scholarship remained closely connected to real economic problems, and as a generous colleague who fostered intellectual exchange among generations of students and academics.
Read full obituary here.
We were saddened to learn of the death of Robert Picken, who died on 1 July 2026 at the age of 91.
Born in 1934 in Los Angeles, California, Robert studied at Dartmouth College, graduating with an AB in 1956 before coming to St John’s College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar. He read Modern Languages, completed a DPhil in French in 1965, and remained an active supporter of both St John’s College and the Rhodes community throughout his life.
After a brief appointment at Union College, Robert joined Queens College of the City University of New York, where he built a distinguished career as a scholar of seventeenth-century French literature, teacher, and academic leader. He championed international education, directing study abroad programmes and later serving as Chair of the Department of Romance Languages, Assistant Dean of International Education, and Chair of the CUNY Faculty Senate. Throughout his career, he was a steadfast advocate for shared governance, faculty rights, and access to public higher education, while inspiring generations of students through his scholarship, mentorship, and love of languages.
Robert’s intellectual curiosity extended far beyond his academic specialism. A gifted linguist, he pursued the study of numerous languages throughout his life, travelled widely, and remained deeply engaged with Chinese language and culture well into his final months. He will be remembered with gratitude for his lifelong commitment to scholarship, international understanding, and public service.
Read full obituary here.