'Trapper John,' corporate director: in memoriam: Wayne Rogers played an important role in the boardroom as he did on the TV screen.

AuthorMcCarthy, Kelly
PositionENDNOTE - Reprint

Perhaps best known as Trapper John to Alan Alda's Hawkeye Pierce on the hit television series "M*A*S*H," it seems Wayne Rogers hasn't changed much since his days as the affable Army surgeon stationed at the fictional 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. Sure, the '70s big hair is gone. What remains is the recognizable slow Southern drawl, rugged good looks, and easy banter.

Rogers, in addition to his acclaimed theater, television, and film roles, is a successful entrepreneur, businessman, and corporate director. He is chairman of Wayne M. Rogers & Co., an investment management firm. Among numerous real estate and business ventures, he serves as chairman of Kleinfeld, the wedding dress emporium in New York, and chairman of Stop-N-Save LLC, which owns and operates convenience stores.

You could say the "M*A*S*H" alum is something of a renaissance man; his interests and talents are that varied. He recently returned from a conference of academics discussing the biology of virtue, much of which focused on neuroeconomics and experiments in trust. Rogers likes what he learned--that out of trust comes virtue, and that man is genetically inclined to trust.

It's that very sentiment that most engages him about board service. "That interaction of being trusted gives me a sense of purpose, a sense of worth," he says.

There was a time that confidence was tested. A few years ago Directors & Boards spoke with Rogers about his decision to remove himself from all but one of his board appointments.

"The reason is the liability," said Rogers at the time. "Directors are increasingly held responsible for the decisions of management. If you don't have the time to actively serve and devote that kind of time to actually what's going on in the company you can be held liable. Every now and then something happens in the company, and management isn't forthright and doesn't tell you. Shareholder suits are sufficiently scary to me."

In 2006 he put aside his fears and skepticism to join the board of Vishay Intertechnology Inc., a global manufacturer of semiconductors and components headquartered in Malvern, Pa. Why now? In meeting Dr. Felix Zandman, Vishay's founder and chairman, Rogers found someone who he judged to be morally and ethically sound. He did his due diligence by researching the company, liking what he saw in its management and board. He was appreciative of the way the business was being run. What's more, executives were not overpaid; they were measured, and...

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