William R. Pagen, who headed Pauley Petroleum for 25 years before it became a part of Hondo Oil & Gas Co., has died. He was 72.
Pagen, who retired last year as vice chairman of Hondo, died Friday in Los Angeles of emphysema.
A native of Los Angeles who was educated at UCLA, Pagen spent his entire 46-year career with Pauley Petroleum. He joined the company after serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and rose through the ranks to succeed founder Edwin W. Pauley as president and chief executive in 1963. He also became chairman when Pauley died in 1981, and was named a vice chairman of Hondo after the merger in 1988.
Pagen served as chairman of the UCLA Foundation, was a member of the school's board of governors, and was named UCLA alumnus of the year in 1992. An avid yachtsman, he won several trophies for the California Yacht Club and served on the Los Angeles County Small Craft Harbors Commission.
He also served as a trustee of Orthopaedic Hospital, St. John's Hospital Foundation and the California Museum Foundation, and as a member of the research council of the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation.
Pagen is survived by his wife, Barbara McHenry Pauley; a daughter, Patrice Smith; two sons, Robert and John; a sister, Dorothy P. Miller, and seven grandchildren.
Services are scheduled Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at All Saints Episcopal Church, 504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills.
The family has asked that memorial contributions be made to the American Lung Assn. of Los Angeles County, 5858 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 300, Los Angeles, 90036, or to the Nautical Library Campaign at the Marina Foundation, P.O. Box 11297, Marina del Rey, 90295.