Rodman L Drake

Mr. Drake was born in Terre Haute, Ind., to Helen Frederick Drake, an international concert pianist, and Col. Leland Rodman Drake, a West Point career military officer. He lived in Texas; Kansas; Virginia; Colorado; Bogota, Colombia; and Santiago, Chile. He attended The Grange School in Santiago and The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn. He graduated from Yale University, class of 1965, and played on the varsity golf team, helping Yale to an undefeated season in his final year. After Yale, Mr. Drake served two years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army’s Intelligence Division. In 1969, he graduated with an MBA from Harvard University, and began work as a consultant for Cresap McCormick and Paget, becoming its youngest CEO and managing director at 37. He led CMP for more than decade, conducting its merger with Towers Perrin. In Brazil, he met and married his first wife, Lenir Leme Lambert Drake, with whom he had two sons. Until his death, he was the chairman of the Columbia Atlantic Funds, and the Brookfield and Helios Funds; a board member and chairman of the compensation committee at Celgene Corp.; and a board member of Chimerix Inc. Until 2010, Mr. served as chairman and interim CEO of Crystal River Capital, where he managed the sale of the company to Brookfield. From 1997 to 2007, he was managing director of Baringo Capital, a private equity group that he co-founded. Previously, he was co-chairman of KMR Power Co. He was a trustee of Animal Medical Center and the creator of a PEN Biography Award. Mr. Drake is survived by his wife of 17 years, Jacqueline Weld Drake; two sons, Stephan Drake and Philip Drake; a sister, Joan Drake; two nephews, Leland Fox and Gregory Fox; an aunt, Fran Drake; three sisters-in-law, Mercedes Levin, Martha Bograd, and Estrellita Brodsky; and a brother-in-law, Daniel Brodsky.