As you ascend the steps of the ZSR atrium, you are greeted by a portrait of the smiling Edwin G. Wilson, who proudly overlooks each passerby. His image is placed exactly where it belongs, surrounded by the students and faculty he cared so deeply for. While the “Wilson Wing” was created in his honor in 1992, Wilson’s memory extends far beyond the gold frame that borders his painting.

Wilson is remembered for knowing the names of students he met 50 years ago. He is remembered for his sweet, melodic voice that captivated everyone who listened to his recitations of “The Song of Wandering Aengus.” Perhaps most importantly, Wilson is remembered for his lifelong dedication to Wake Forest University.

Rogan Kersh, politics & international affairs professor and former provost, recalls Wilson’s larger-than-life presence that transcended his physical stature. He remembers his walks with Wilson when he first began as provost and had endless questions. No matter what crisis he was facing, Wilson remained calm and assured him everything would be okay.

“He lived a very upright, honorable life, and it made you want to be like that as well,” Kersh said. “I was very conscious, even though I’m taller than Ed Wilson, that I was always in his shadow when we walked around campus. When you have the kind of integrity he did, you seem larger.”

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Wilson passed away March 13, 2024, at 101 years old, but his legacy at Wake Forest as a teacher, mentor and admirable leader will long outlive him. 

Mr. Wake Forest

Wilson was nicknamed “Mr. Wake Forest”, in part because of the nearly 80 years he spent at the university. He graduated in 1943 with degrees in English and history from the original Wake Forest campus. 

Emily Herring Wilson said that Wake Forest was home for her husband from day one. Having moved from Leakesville, N.C., Wilson would later spend the majority of his life at Wake Forest.

“When he went to what is now ‘the old campus,’ he fell in love with it, as you do when you’re 16,” Herring Wilson said. “That was the campus of his heart. Wake [Forest] was just built for him. It was a perfect match from day one.”

Wilson joined the Navy after he graduated, where he served until he was discharged in 1946. Afterwards, he attended Harvard University for a master’s degree and a doctorate. Wilson then returned to Wake Forest to teach “Poets of the English Romantic Period” in 1951, just five years before Wake Forest moved to Winston-Salem. 

By 1960, Wilson was named dean of the college. Then, in 1967, he was named the university’s first provost by President James Ralph Scales. Even as provost, Wilson taught classes. Marybeth Sutton Wallace (‘86), now a special assistant in the office of the vice president, was a student in Wilson’s class. She recalls how captivating his lectures were.

“As a student, we never would have dreamed of missing his class, even on a Friday afternoon between two and three o’clock,” Wallace said. “You would not miss his class because you couldn’t bear to disappoint him. But you also couldn’t bear to disappoint yourself.”

This, Wallace said, was because listening to Wilson reciting poetry was magical.

“I can’t even explain how uplifting it was to hear him read poetry and talk about the poets—we sat in his class mesmerized. It’s to be transported to Yeats’ Ireland or Byron’s Mediterranean. His voice was so eloquent and so enchanting. No one read poetry like Ed Wilson.”

Wilson never truly retired from Wake Forest. Though he officially retired as provost in 1990, he worked as vice president for special projects until 1993, and handled academic provost duties as senior vice president from 1998 until 2002 when a provost was appointed. 

Friendliness and Honor

In a film titled “The Essence of Wake Forest,” Wilson describes the two words he most associates with Wake Forest: friendliness and honor. He explained that when he first began his undergraduate years, each student was given a badge that contained those two words. Kersh said that everyone knew Wilson, and even if Wilson didn’t know them, he showed them equal friendliness regardless.

“If you walked across campus with Ed Wilson, he seemed to know everyone, and years after he retired from [administration], by this dozen students still knew who he was,” Kersh said. “There was a kind of friendliness that wasn’t on the surface. He knew they were sharing something, in this case, [Wake Forest], which he loved.”

When Wilson interacted with people on campus, he found ways to connect with anyone, even if there was a 70-year age gap between them. Thomas E. Mullen, former dean of the college and history professor, said this was because he was so intentional about listening to people’s experiences.

“It was so obvious that it almost goes without saying that he was good company,” Mullen said. “He liked to hear people talk about their experiences. So he asked people a lot of questions. And I think people found out less about him than he found out about them most of the time.”

Honor was the most fundamental value of Wake Forest to Wilson, and is a trait he brought with him from the original campus. His integrity set an example for others and encouraged them to act honorably, in and out of the classroom. Kersh said others acted with integrity because they wanted to honor Wilson.

“He held himself to very high standards of honor and he held his students in classes to the same standards,” Kersh said. “It was a kind of honor that was not lectured out of his mouth.”

Memorial service

On Friday, May 3, 2024, Wake Forest held a memorial service for Wilson. Wait Chapel was nearly full with friends, family and other Wake Forest community members paying their respects.

J. Reid Morgan, former senior vice president and general counsel member, gave a speech honoring Wilson’s love for life, saying how his legacy and words made Wake Forest the institution it is today. 

“I have often thought about the power of his words,” Morgan said, “but especially in recent weeks, my mind has also turned to the abundance of joy at the center of his life, whether it was in class, where for three days a week time stood still as he exhibited the joys of literature to an overflowing class; or at a university event, where every person with whom he spoke felt his keen interest in them and in their lives; or with [Herring Wilson] and the family, where he could relax and enjoy his most cherished role as husband, father and grandfather.” 

He continued: “It was his joy that illuminated his face and enlivened his resonant voice. His joy captured our hearts.”

In an interview with the Old Gold & Black, Morgan recounted memories of when he and Wilson attended Wake Forest baseball games, and when they both traveled Europe while Wilson gave lectures about the author’s houses they would visit. He said while they worked together, he admired Wilson’s care for everything he was involved in.

“He was just an inspirational man,” Morgan said. “He cared so much about what needed to be done, and he lifted every sort of activity we had. He also didn’t shy away from difficult things, but the way he handled things with his kindness and clarity, he was just somebody that everybody loved.”

Creating a Legacy

Wilson’s dedication to Wake Forest is seen through his work on campus. The ‘Wilson Wing’ is just one example of a reminder of his impact. But Wilson is remembered far beyond the borders of the Reynolda campus. 

“I do hope that if he has a legacy, it’s timeless, and it’s that he loved Wake Forest,” Herring Wilson said. “He was exactly the person at home that he was on campus: honorable and kind. He nodded off when he got sleepy, and ate when he got hungry just like other people. But you could count on him. And you knew that he would never betray you or do anything wrong.”