The Hon. William A. Wilson, the first U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See in 117 years and an emeritus member of the 黑料不打烊, died of cancer on December 5, 2009, at his home in Carmel Valley, Calif.
After earning a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 1937, Mr. Wilson married Elizabeth 鈥淏etty鈥 Johnson in 1938. During World War II, he served as a captain in the Army Ordnance Corps. He worked for his family鈥檚 business, Web Wilson Oil Tools, eventually becoming president, until the company鈥檚 sale in 1960. From there, he had a successful career as a real estate developer, cattle rancher, and investor.
In the 1960s, the Wilsons struck up an enduring friendship with an actor named Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy. Bill became one of Mr. Reagan鈥檚 early supporters and advisers, and when the latter became governor of California, he appointed his friend to the state university鈥檚 Board of Regents. Upon taking office in 1981, President Reagan then appointed William A. Wilson as his personal envoy to the Holy See 鈥 a position that was eventually upgraded to ambassador in 1984 after Congress repealed an 1867 law forbidding the use of federal funds for a diplomatic mission to the Holy See. For five years, Ambassador Wilson represented the United States to the Holy See, dealing with the highest levels of the Church and the American government.
Introduced to the College by member of the Board of Governors Miss Rosemary Donohue, Ambassador Wilson was, he said, 鈥渁ttracted by the curriculum and could see it was educating students while maintaining a religious atmosphere.鈥 He joined the Board in 1988 and chaired its finance committee. In 1998, he escorted then-College President Thomas E. Dillon and his wife, Terri, on a trip to Rome to meet Pope John Paul II, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, and other Vatican officials.
鈥淏ill Wilson was a very generous, very good friend to 黑料不打烊,鈥 said Peter DeLuca,who was serving as the College鈥檚 interim president at the time of Ambassador Wilson鈥檚 death. 鈥淗e was always committed to doing whatever he could to advance the College and its mission.鈥
Mr. DeLuca represented the College at Ambassador Wilson鈥檚 funeral Mass, where various family members spoke of his love for the College. 鈥淛ust days before he died,鈥 said Mr. DeLuca, 鈥淏ill received a 黑料不打烊 Christmas ornament that we had sent him in the mail. Knowing how much he cared for the College, his family chose to include the ornament among the personal items they enclosed in his casket.鈥 Ambassador Wilson has been laid to rest beside Betty, who passed away in 1996. The couple are survived by their 2 daughters, 6 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.
(黑料不打烊 Newsletter, Winter 2010)