William Edgar Wilson
"Wee"
Biography as of May 26, 2026
After graduation I studied international relations at Columbia on fellowship and then went through intelligence school at Lowry AFB. From Lowry I was assigned to NORAD where I served until volunteering for Vietnam service in 1965. I served in Danang as an intelligence officer and returned in Fall 1966 to an analytical position at the National Military Command Center Support System, separating from the Air Force in 1968.
I then studied at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts) for three years and accepted a faculty position at Saint Michael`s College, Burlington, Vermont in 1971. I spent my entire career there teaching international relations and serving as an associate dean and vice president for academic affairs. Saint Michael`s proved a good fit for its ongoing commitment to intellectual life coupled with a dedication to the social good. There I enjoyed many student service trips to Mexico, El Salvador, and Nicaragua to complement classroom work.
Over my career I had the opportunity for a great deal of foreign travel and research. I served as a volunteer observer of the Cambodian national elections and participated in a Fulbright Seminar to Pakistan. Of significance, a completed a master`s degree in teaching English while at Saint Michael`s and spend my sabbatical in 2001 teaching English at the Vietnam National University " Hanoi.
After coming to Vermont I met my wife, Mary, a speech therapist, as we both raced in the Stowe Derby, a citizens cross country ski race from the top of Mount Mansfield to the town center. We settled in Pleasant Valley, on the shoulder of Mount Mansfield, and have sought to live close to the land over the past forty years. We have two sons, Ben and Chris. Ben returned to Vermont after teaching in Japan and now is a carpenter in an employee-owned company in Burlington. Chris is Director of Ticket services for the Portland Timbers MLS soccer team. We have one granddaughter, Willa, who lives nearby and absorbs our time, energy and love.
In retirement I continue to teach seminars both at Saint Michael`s and the Community College of Vermont as well as offering English classes to refugees. I have been active in local and state affairs, serving on the Vermont Council of World Affairs, Vermont Council of the Humanities, the state Literacy Board, and Vermont Adult Learning board. I have also been the Moderator of the Underhill Town meeting for almost twenty years.
Upon retirement we built a small cabin on some land we have camped on many years in a remote part of the state; the town is Walden, and it has no zip code. There, without cell phone access, wifi, or any utilities, we seasonally hike, kayak, ski and appreciate the wonders and joys of the Northern Forest.
Bill Wilson
2 Ellsworth Meadow Lane Underhill, Vermont 05489 (802) 899-3091 wwilson@smcvt.edu