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Rudolf J. Pendall--Born Rudolf Eduard Marius Josef Cornelius Puppendahl, May 1, 1915, in Limburg province, Netherlands. Died February 22, 1998 at home in Albuquerque, of cancer. From his first job to his last efforts, even long after retirement, he advocated forcefully to bring high-quality, affordable health care to everyone, regardless of income or background. His friends and family will remember him as a man of unquestionable honor and integrity. He has enriched our lives. His father, Josef Puppendahl, died in World War I when Rud was three; his mother, Marl Palmen, died when he was 11. Rud came to the US with his sister Magda in 1936 because he did not wish to respond to the"greetings" he had received from Hitler to join the German Army. (Under German law, he was considered a German citizen because his father was German). His father's sister, Mother Concordia, of the nursing order, Sisters of St. Mary, was his and Magda's American sponsor. He received a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin in 1938 and a Master of Science in Administrative Medicine from Columbia University in 1956. In 1940 Rud was naturalized as a US citizen. During World War II, he helped build bombers at Willow Run, Michigan. After the war he was editor of Hospital Progress, journal of the Catholic Hospital Association, and later served as Executive Vice President of a hospital public relations company. From 1960 to 1969, Rud was Executive Director of the Hospital Council of Maryland, where he instituted such cost-control programs as statewide group purchasing, computer-sharing, and industrial engineering. He came to Albuquerque in 1970 as Executive Director of the Mid-Rio Grande Health Planning Council. At the Council he worked with community members to develop the first areawide health plan to prevent duplication of services and fill in gaps where care was missing. During the late 1970's he worked as a consultant in health planning, chaired the Health Issues Council, and taught health planning at the Anderson School of Management, UNM. After retirement, he prepared a manual for Albuquerque Seniors Helping Seniors,"Medicare and Private Health Insurance for New Mexico Seniors." He also worked with People Living Through Cancer during its early years and helped organize the Albuquerque Hemlock Society. Rud is survived by his wife, Joanne; daughter, Elise and husband, Gary Bolton of Boulder, CO; son, Rolf and wife, Leda Black of Ithaca, NY; cousins, Magda and Bill Quinlan of Bakersfield, CA, and the Palmen family in the Netherlands. Cremation services have been rendered by Sunrise Society of New Mexico, with a memorial ceremony to be held this summer. In lieu of flowers, contributions might be made to People Living Through Cancer, 323 Eighth St. SW, Albuquerque 87102; UNM Hospice, 4001 Indian School Rd. NE, Suite 300, Albuquerque 87110; or to Franciscan Sisters of Mary, 1100 Bellevue Ave., St. Louis, MO 63117.
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