July 23, 2025 Remembering Rex Wagner Written By: Lili Sarajian Departments: Electrical & Computer Engineering|Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics Categories: In Memorium We mourn the loss of our colleague Rex Wagner who passed away on July 5, 2025 after battling brain cancer. Rex served as the Operations Director of the Helically Symmetric Experiment at UW–Madison. “Rex stood out for his deep commitment to both the experiment and the people around him, offering steady guidance, practical advice, and strong leadership,” says Benedikt Geiger, Principal Investigator of HSX. “Thanks to his engineering talent and unwavering dedication, HSX underwent a major upgrade and refurbishment under his direction. The experiment is now running better than ever, enabling us to explore new magnetic field configurations and plasma regimes—an achievement that would not have been possible without him.” “Rex was always the first to arrive at the lab and the last to leave,” says Geiger. “Even after his diagnosis, he continued to contribute with the same excellence and care he was known for. We will deeply miss Rex as an inspiring lab manager, a gifted engineer, and a compassionate colleague. His impact on HSX and on all of us will not be forgotten.” An obituary page has been published for Rex Wagner with more details about his life and impact.