Dick Wood Jr., longtime president and CEO of Wawa, dies at 88

Dick Wood Jr., the former president and CEO of Wawa, has died. He was 88. According to his obituary, Wood “passed away peacefully at his home” on July 10. Wood’s great-grandfather, George Wood, opened the first Wawa Dairy in 1902. Dick Wood joined the company in 1970 as general counsel and became president seven years later. Under his leadership, Wawa grew to 900 stores, employing more than 3,600 workers. He pushed the company into the gas business and expanded hours at many stores to 24 hours a day. He was also a philanthropist. CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment bears his name. (Photo credit: Wawa)