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William Wilson ’43

William Wilson ’43, July 3, 2001, in Blue River, Oregon, of age-related causes. After spending three years at Reed, William transferred to MIT to complete the five-year cooperative program in civil engineering. He earned a BA in physics from Reed and a BS in civil engineering from MIT. William and Mary Ormsbee ’42 were married in 1942 in Montana, and in 1943 they moved to Santa Monica, California, where he took a job with Douglas Aircraft Company as a stress analyst on military aircraft and also taught classes at UCLA. After World War II, they moved to Portland and then to Spokane, Washington, where he worked in engineering firms and became a partner in a Spokane architectural firm. He began his own practice in Spokane in 1953.In 1956 they moved to Eugene, Oregon, where William enrolled in the University of Oregon School of Architecture and continued to build his architectural and engineering practice. He retired in 1991 and they moved to Blue River in 1996. The couple enjoyed downhill skiing, white water rafting, volunteering in a literacy program, and music. Survivors include three sons, a daughter, five grandchildren, and William’s sister and brother.

Appeared in Reed magazine: December 2013

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