In Remembrance: Edwin “Ed” Wilde, Jr.
Edwin “Ed” Wilde, Jr.—professor, outdoorsman, architect of the Beloit Plan—died at the age of 92.
Credit: Beloit College ArchivesA first-generation college graduate, Ed Wilde, Jr. was a beloved and esteemed math professor and administrator at four different institutions of higher education, including Beloit College. He was known for treating everyone with respect and instilling a love of learning. He passed away on July 7, 2023, at the age of 92.
At Beloit College from 1955 to 1976, Wilde taught mathematics, coached wrestling, and later served as associate dean and then as vice president for planning. He was one of the primary architects of the Beloit Plan — the college’s bold year-round academic program that attracted an extraordinary cohort of students and produced a remarkably accomplished generation of alumni.
Wilde left a positive impression on the students he taught and mentored, including Dick Niemiec ’65, former interim college president and trustee, for whom Wilde’s caring spirit epitomized the quality of teaching at Beloit. Niemiec recounts a visit to Dr. Wilde in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he was teaching. Over breakfast, Dr. Wilde recounted Niemiec’s first semester of calculus in remarkable detail. Without referring to any old grade books, he recalled how, for most of the semester, he hadn’t been sure whether Dick would pass — until the final exam. Niemiec had no idea how close he had come. Years later, he and his wife Joan established the Edwin F. Wilde, Jr. Distinguished Service Chair to honor outstanding service by a faculty member in any department, currently held by Natalie Gummer, professor of religious studies and critical identity studies.
Wilde loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter, fisher, hiker, gardener, beekeeper, and a life-long athlete. He founded the Outing Club at Beloit and led expeditions to introduce students and faculty to canoeing, hiking, biking, kayaking, and rock climbing. He also ran National Science Foundation summer institutes for elementary school teachers. He is survived by his wife Roxy, a son, daughter, seven grandchildren, and four great grandchildren, and is remembered as a kind, loving, and generous man by all who knew him.
