On April 1, Robert C. Wood, the second Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, passed away. He was 81.

Although his tenure as Secretary was brief, Wood was instrumental in the founding of the Department. In the early 1960s, Wood served on a number of presidential task forces that eventually led to the creation of HUD, and in 1966, upon the appointment of Robert Weaver, Wood became HUD's first Under Secretary. In 1969, upon the resignation of Robert C. Weaver, he briefly served as a recess-appointed Secretary.

After his tenure at HUD, Wood pursued a career in academics, becoming the director of the Harvard-MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies, the president of the University of Massachusetts in Boston, and a professor at Wesleyan University.

A summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University, Wood received a master's degree in public administration and a doctorate in government and political economy from Harvard.

Remembered as a fun, caring Secretary with a fierce and passionate devotion improving urban America, Wood will be sincerely missed.