Roden Resigns as Director of Bergen

Donald R. Roden, fired in November as chief executive of Bergen Brunswig Corp. in Orange, has resigned as a director of the nation’s third-largest drug wholesaler, the company said Monday.

Roden, 53, who joined Bergen as president in 1995, had assumed the top operating position three years ago amid great fanfare. But the troubled company’s performance faltered and Wall Street pounded the stock, which has lost more than 80% of its value over the past year.

The company said it received Roden’s resignation Monday. It was effective last Wednesday. The company released the information after the market closed. Bergen’s shares, which traded as high as $37.75 early last January, ended Monday at $6.56 a share, down 13 cents.