February 18, 2008
Lyon College News Bureau

Michael E. “Mike” Wilson, 65, a longtime member of the Lyon College Board of Trustees, died unexpectedly Feb. 8 at a hospital in Osceola.

Mr. Wilson joined the Lyon College Board of Trustees in 1989. After a rotation off the Board, in 2001, he resumed his Board service in 2002 and had served as a member of the Executive Committee and as chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee ever since.

“Mike Wilson was an absolutely wonderful man, a great friend of the College and terrific Trustee,” said Walter Roettger, president of Lyon College. “We all feel a tremendous sense of loss at his passing. Mike was a man you could count on – a man of absolute integrity, of rare warmth and wit, and of great conviction. He was a passionate advocate of education; he cared for students and championed their cause; and, he cared for his community and state. It was Lyon’s great good fortune to have him with us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

One of Northeast Arkansas’ most prominent businessmen and farmers, Mr. Wilson was chairman and chief executive officer of Lee Wilson and Co.; president and director of the Delta Valley and Southern Railroad; president of the Kennemore Wilson Insurance Agency; and president and director of Wilson Realty and Development Co. He also served as a member of the Entergy Arkansas Advisory Board.

A strong advocate of education, Mr. Wilson was a member of the board of founders of the National Council on Economic Education and was vice chairman of the Foundation for the Mid South in Jackson, Miss.

Mr. Wilson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., in 1965. He served in the U.S. Army until 1967, when he was discharged as a captain.

He and his wife, Pat, have two children: Perry Lee Wilson and Natalie Brownlow. Mr. Wilson resided in Wilson, Ark., a town founded by his great-great-grandfather. He had served as mayor of Wilson since 1986.

A public memorial service was held in the Wilson town square Feb. 13. President Walter Roettger and several others from Lyon attended the service.

Because of Mike's passion for education, the family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be sent to Lyon College c/o Tim Bruner, P.O. Box 2317, Batesville, AR 72503, or another educational institution or charity of the donor's choosing.

Michael E. "Mike" Wilson