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About Owen Meredith Wilson
FORMER UO PRESIDENT OWEN MEREDITH WILSON PASSES AWAY AT 89
Nov. 7, 1998
Contact Maureen Shine (541) 346-3145
EUGENE–A memorial service will be held on the University of Oregon campus to honor an internationally recognized leader in higher education, former UO President Owen Meredith Wilson, who died Saturday, Nov. 7 at the age of 89 of a malignant brain tumor. He died peacefully at his Eugene home.
The service will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15 in the Alumni Lounge at Gerlinger Hall, 1468 University St.
Wilson was president of the UO from 1954 to 1960 and is described as one of the university’s most intellectually gifted and forward-thinking presidents.
"Meredith Wilson was one of the University of Oregon’s greatest presidents," says UO President Dave Frohnmayer. "His tenure at this institution was marked by significant growth and distinction. He was loved by faculty, staff and students alike."
While at the UO, Wilson is credited with transforming the graduate school into what it is today, with an emphasis on the combination of research and graduate education. He also imposed stricter tenure requirements for faculty, created the Institute of Molecular Biology, opened the Museum of Art to the public and mandated the integration of fraternities and sororities on campus. He also was at the helm when the UO went to the Rose Bowl in 1958.
Wilson was born in Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, on Sept. 21, 1909. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Brigham Young University in 1934, performed graduate studies at the universities of Heidelberg and London from 1936-37, and received his Ph.D. in history from the University of California in 1943.
He began his academic career as an assistant professor at Brigham Young University in 1937, and served on faculties of the universities of Utah and Chicago, and as dean of University College at the University of Utah. Wilson worked as secretary for the Fund for the Advancement of Education at the Ford Foundation before his appointment as the ninth UO president.
Wilson left the UO to become president of the University of Minnesota, where he served for seven years before becoming director of the Center for Advanced Studies of Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, Calif. He held that post until 1975 when he retired to Eugene with his wife, Marian.
"Dr. Meredith Wilson was an outstanding leader in higher education. He helped shape the research and education of some of our major research universities during his many years of service," says Nils Hasselmo, president of the Association of American Universities and former president of the University of Minnesota where he was on the faculty during Wilson’s presidency.
"Dr. Wilson is remembered with admiration and fondness by all of us who had the good fortune of knowing him," Hasselmo said. "We mourn the loss of a marvelous colleague and friend and will rededicate ourselves to continuing the legacy that he left us."
Wilson’s daughter, Connie Bennion, says her father had a special affection for Eugene and the University of Oregon.
"Shortly before his death, he said ‘It is important to me that people know of my pride in the University of Oregon and my whole family’s love for this community.’ It is important for us as a family for people to know how much we love him and agree with him in that regard," she said.
Wilson was a director of numerous organizations and institutions. He served as chairman of the board and federal reserve agent of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, 12th district, and as chair of the American Council on Education. In addition, he was a director of the Northrup Corp. and a trustee of the University of Notre Dame, Northern States Power Co. and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He also was a member of President Lyndon Johnson’s Advisory Committee on Labor Management Policy.
Wilson held many memberships including the national committee of UNESCO, the advisory board of Gondi Shapur University of Iran, the Commission on Minorities in Higher Education, the American Council on Education, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royaumont Foundation, Paris.
Wilson’s many honors included the UO Distinguished Service Award in 1978 and the naming of a University of Minnesota library in his honor. In addition, he received 17 honorary doctoral degrees from institutions including Yale, Brown and Michigan State universities, Lewis and Clark College, Reed College and the universities of Notre Dame, California, Michigan, Utah and North Dakota.
In addition to his wife Marian, Wilson is survived by his three sons, Owen Meredith Jr., John and David; his daughters, Constance Bennion and Margaret Morris; as well as 24 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. His daughter Mary Ann Hansen preceded him in death. His surviving siblings include five sisters, Mabel Evans, Rebecca Hodge, Rachel Mabey, Tony Daynes and Ruth Wilson; and two brothers, Woodrow S. and Grant Wilson. He was preceded in death by his brothers Guy Carlton and David Stevens Wilson; and by his sisters Elizabeth Reynolds Sears, Marguerite Wilson and Florence Anderson.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the University of Oregon Library System or to the Owen Meredith Wilson Library at the University of Minnesota.
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Owen Meredith Wilson's Timeline
| 1909 |
September 21, 1909
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Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
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| 1917 |
December 29, 1917
Age 8
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| 1940 |
1940
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| 1998 |
November 7, 1998
Age 89
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Rest Haven Memorial Park, Eugene, Marion, Oregon, United States
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