Page 63 - Academic Report FINAL VERSION WEB

FACULTY IN MEMORIAM

Mr. Richard Wilson

Mr. James Richard “Dick” Wilson, Jr. 1938-
2019, began his career in 1967 as an educator at
Middle Georgia College teaching economics as
well as other business courses. Before coming to
Middle Georgia College, Mr. Wilson had worked
for several corporations. After his retirement in
1995, he spent much of his time fishing, doing
carpentry work, and reading history.
In memoriam by Dr. Troy V. Sullivan, Professor of
Accounting and Business

I was hired as an Instructor to teach account- gracious host who just enjoyed people as he had
ing courses in January of 1990. This was the be- a knack for entertaining. He was very good at
ginning of when I came to know Mr. Wilson as cooking up a feast. He, along with his wife Dr.
a fellow colleague in the Division of Business Mary Ellen Wilson, would spend hours preparp-
Administration at Middle Georgia. I always re- ing to create a meal experience that their guests
ferred to him as Mr. Wilson, as I was considerably would not soon forget. Following the meal, it
younger than he at the time, having been born was storytelling time. Those were special times I
the year that Mr. Wilson started teaching at MGC. won’t ever forget. I was able to know Mr. Wilson
beyond just calling him a colleague; he was also
In my early twenties, I’d often find myself com- a friend.
plaining about something a student had done
and wondering if this “teaching thing” was really As I write this now, I can’t help but smile
for me. Mr. Wilson would sit in my office, giving thinking back to such good times we shared as
me counsel. He would calmly explain what it was colleagues and as friends.
that I needed to know and do. His command of
the English language was exceptional, as was his
writing ability. He was a seasoned faculty mem-
ber who knew his field of study very well.

Mr. Wilson was also quite a character. Those
of us raised in the South know what that means.
He loved to spin stories, tell jokes, and just have
fun. There were times he would be sitting in my
office, laughing so hard from telling one of his
stories that his face would be beet red. I literally
thought he was going to pass out! An excerpt
from his obituary read “He was quick-witted,
loved to tell a good joke, and his laughter was
contagious…he was a great storyteller in both
written and oral form”. Mr. Wilson was a superb
storyteller who would leave anyone listening in
tears from laughing so hard. He was a master en-
tertainer.

There were many occasions where I was in-
vited to his home for dinner. Mr. Wilson was a

Academic Affairs Annual Report 2019 | Middle Georgia State University 59