Bill Wilkins

1931 - 2023

Bill Wilkins, Ph.D.; Dean Emeritus, College of Liberal Arts, Professor Emeritus of Economics, Oregon State University; Colonel, USAF Retired

Billy Hughel (Bill) Wilkins was born in Paducah, Texas, on July 17, 1931. He died October 18, 2023, Bill was the third and last child and only son of Hughel Homer Wilkins and Grace Couch Wilkins. The family moved to Austin, Texas, when Bill was three and on to Corpus Christi, Texas, when he was in the seventh grade.

Bill graduated from what was then Corpus Christi High School in 1948 and Del Mar (junior) College in 1950. In Mrs. Katharine Evan's American Literature at Del Mar, he first encountered William Cullen Bryant's Thanatopsis. The following passage made a lifelong impression: "So live, that when thy summons comes to join/The innumerable caravan, which moves/To ... where each shall take/His chamber in the silent halls of death,/Thou go not, like a quarry-slave at night,/Scourged to his dungeon...."

Although the Korean War had started, he enrolled at The University Texas (there was only Austin then) that Fall. When an Air Force aviation cadet recruiting team came to campus, he took the tests and qualified for navigator training. So he dropped out of the University at the end of the semester and enlisted in the Air Force in 1951. After basic training at Lackland AFB, he was assigned to Ellington AFB where he worked on the flight line until entering aviation cadet class Ellington 52-09 with advance training at Mather AFB.

Upon commissioning and gaining his navigator rating, completing combat crew training, and winter survival training, he flew combat missions in RB-26s from Kimpo Airbase (K-14) in Korea. During July 1953, having earned a Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with cluster, and other awards, he finished the combat tour, had his 22nd birthday, and returned to the U.S. His subsequent assignments were with the Military Air Transport Command flying in C-124's from Brookley AFB, Mobile, Alabama, and C-54's from Kelly AFB, San Antonio, Texas. He left Air Force extended active duty in August 1955, remaining in the Ready Reserve.

Bill enrolled in Texas A&I College, Kingsville, that September and was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1956. That summer he was a delegate to the Texas Democratic Party state convention. When he returned to A&I for graduate studies, he was interviewed about that experience by Caroline Hanke, a reporter for the campus paper. With her help he was named editor of the paper, THE SOUTH TEXAN, for 1956-57. Caroline was associate editor. In summer term 1957, Caroline became editor and Bill associate editor. After he was awarded a masters degree that August and accepted a position as Instructor in Economics at Texas Tech College, Bill and Caroline were married. Their son, Brian Hughel Wilkins was born in 1965

At the end of their year at Texas Tech, Bill and Caroline moved to Austin where he entered the Economics Ph.D. program at The University of Texas-Austin and she worked at the Texas Legislature while continuing her undergraduate studies. During the Spring of 1960, Bill unsuccessfully sought the nomination for State Representative then completed the Ph.D. in 1961 and Caroline completed her B.A.

Bill joined the Economics faculty at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, in September 1961 as an Assistant Professor and quickly rose to the rank of Professor while also taking an active part in OSU faculty governance. He was twice elected to head the Faculty Senate. During 1963-64 and 1969, while on leave from OSU, the couple lived, taught, and did research in Mexico. On subsequent leaves from OSU, Bill served as Staff Economist for the Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives and as the Associate Administrator for Policy and International Aviation of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Back at OSU he was appointed Dean of the College of Liberal Arts in 1982 and served a year as the University's acting Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost before taking an assignment to survey the internationalization of a wide sample of Western U. S. research universities. He returned to the position of Dean of CLA and served as President of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, the national organization of arts and sciences deans, in 1992-93. He was awarded emeritus status from OSU in 1994.

An active general aviation pilot with a commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating, Bill was a member of the OSU Flying Club for more than 40 years. He did aviation policy research with the OSU Transportation Institute, served on and chaired the Corvallis Airport Commission, and was the first chairman of the newly created Oregon State Aviation Board. "Here's a toast to the host/Of those who love the vastness of the sky...."

In retirement, Bill and Caroline continued to live in Corvallis until 2010 when they went to Green Valley, Arizona, and then to San Antonio, Texas in 2013.

Bill is survived by Caroline, son Brian (Melissa) Wilkins and granddaughters Abigail Elizabeth and Elizabeth Grace Wilkins of Enterprise, Alabama, as well as nieces and nephews.

Remembrances can be made to the Bill & Caroline Wilkins Faculty Development Award through the OSU Foundation, 4238 SW Research Way, Corvallis, OR 97333.