Paul Eugene Wisdom Jr. ’54

Paul Eugene Wisdom Jr. ’54 passed away on September 10, 2017. Paul came to Dartmouth from Denver, where he attended East High School. At Dartmouth Paul was a member of the basketball team and a brother of Sigma Chi and majored in economics. After graduation he moved back to Colorado, selling life insurance and driving a cab at night. He then began to design and build custom homes in Denver, Arvada and Evergreen, Colorado. Paul’s designs of ranch-style homes incorporated innovations drawn from Oriental architecture. In 1964 Paul moved to Greely, Colorado, where he earned his master’s in English literature from the University of Northern Colorado. He then in 1965 moved to Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, where he taught English and a course in African American literature at Illinois State University. He became assistant dean of faculty and with others put together a comprehensive plan to recruit black students that received national recognition. In 1969 he joined the administration of Towson State College in Maryland as vice president of institutional development. Paul’s career as a college fundraiser and public relations executive took him to several colleges. In 1981 he became vice president of development at Lafayette College, where he served until 1985, then to Colorado State University (1985-90) and Florida Institute of Technology (1990-96) until retirement. Paul is survived by daughter Wendy, son Wade, stepson Lonn and stepdaughter Brende. His wife, Jane, predeceased him.