Joseph John Wood Jr.

Joe was born in the Republic of Panama in 1937. He attended U.S. schools in the Panama Canal Zone, graduating from Balboa High School in 1955. He received an Associate of Arts degree from the Canal Zone Junior College in 1957, where he was proudly elected president of both the Freshman and Sophomore classes. He then transferred to the University of Florida, graduating in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, majoring in Economics. Following a year of graduate study at UF, he joined the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged upon completion of a six-year Army Reserve commitment.

In 1961, Joe began his career as a Management Intern with the Panama Canal Company (later the Panama Canal Commission), an independent agency of the United States Government. He successively held a variety of staff and administrative positions over the years, including Chief of the Administrative Services Division, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Canal Zone, and Director of the Office of Executive Administration-a position he held from 1980 until his retirement in 1993.

As Director of the Office of Executive Administration, Joe advised and represented the Administrator on critical policy and administrative matters. He served as the principal channel of communication between the Canal agency and the American Embassy, the U.S. Armed Forces, other U.S. Government agencies in Panama, Congressional delegations, the Canal's Board of Directors, and the Government of Panama. He also rendered final agency decisions on all equal opportunity, position classification, adverse action, and employee grievance appeals. Additionally, he served as the Designated Agency Ethics Officer, the Top Secret and Classified Information Security Officer, and was the primary relief for the Deputy Administrator.

Prior to the implementation of the Panama Canal Treaties in 1979, which disestablished the Canal Zone and granted Panama jurisdiction over the territory, Joe was appointed as the United States representative on seven bi-national Treaty Implementation Subcommittees. These covered vital functional areas including lands, waters, public buildings, tax matters, importations, licensing and registration, employee documentation, commercial activities, and nonprofit organizations. The 20-year transition period beginning in 1979 provided extraordinarily difficult challenges for all those living there. Joe successfully supported the agency through civil disturbances, nationwide strikes, the Noriega regime, and "Operation Just Cause" in 1989.

Following the 1989 U.S. military action in Panama, Joe served as Deputy Administrator for Administration for nine months until the Treaty-mandated Panamanian Administrator and American Deputy Administrator could be officially appointed by the President of the United States.

During his time in Panama, Joe was deeply embedded in the community. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Panama Canal College for nine years; President of the Canal Zone Council for the Boy Scouts of America; Commissioner and League President of the Panama Pacific Little League; and as a board member of the Summit Hills Golf and Country Club.

In recognition of his exceptional service, he received the Panama Canal Distinguished Service Award, the Panama Canal Honorary Public Service Award, and the Panama Canal Master Key to the Locks Award, earning the designation of "Champion of the Isthmian Community." He was also honored with the Boy Scouts of America Buenas Obras (Good Deeds) Award, the Boy Scouts Distinguished Medal, the Panama Canal College Medal, and numerous performance awards.

After retiring and moving to the United States, Joe answered Chuck Hummer's invitation to become one of the founders of the Panama Canal Museum in 1998. He dedicated his time as president for 12 of the museum's 14 years of existence. He continued his preservation work as President of the Friends of the Panama Canal Museum Collection at the University of Florida after the collection was transferred to the institution in July 2012.

Joe was an avid golfer and a member of the Killearn Golf and Country Club in Tallahassee. He was a devout, lifelong fan of the Florida Gators, a member of the George A. Smathers Libraries Leadership Board at the University of Florida, an Honorary Life Member of the Panama Canal Society, and a life member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge 1414 in Panama.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 55 years, Beverly; his sons, Craig (wife, Heather), Brian (wife, Karina), and Scott; his sister, Ann Wood (husband, Ray); his granddaughter, Cameron; and his grandsons, Jordan, AJ, and Asher; and brothers-in-law, Bob (Jill) and Ron Bowman.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, November 7, 2026 from 11am - 2pm at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum, 6800 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32308.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Panama Canal Museum Collection Endowment at giving.uff.ufl.edu/giving-opportunities/017606-panama-canal-museum-collection-endowment