William "Bill" W. Wise's Obituary
WILLIAM "BILL" W. WISE
29 May 1945-06 August 2020
At age 75, Bill was received into the Lord’s hands after a long illness. Born and raised in the Cleveland area, he was the beloved son of Grace and Walter Wise (both deceased), dearest brother to Arlene and Evelynne, uncle to Maureen (Wise) Hamilton, and grand uncle to Jack Ryan Hamilton. His Ohio roots are deep. In his maternal grandmother’s line, he was a proud descendent of those members of the Tryon Family of Wethersfield, Conn. who relocated in 1831 to Bedford, Ohio in Connecticut’s Western Reserve. Bill’s lifelong passion with Nature manifested itself at age 10 with his extensive knowledge of wildlife followed by his interest in geology and membership in the Parma Lapidary Club at age 14. Following his high school graduation, he worked briefly in the Stokes’ mayoral administration. Just prior to starting college at Ohio University (OU) in Athens, Ohio, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam 1965-1967. Bill then completed college at OU after which he accepted a commission as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army where he became a Ranger-101st Airborne. He was then stationed at Fort Lewis (Washington State) where he was an infantry unit commander. For 11 years thereafter, Bill served in the U.S. Army Reserves with the rank of Captain. A severe fracture whilst an army officer led him to a long and distinguished second career as an Interpretive National Park Ranger at the following parks: Mammoth Cave (Kentucky), Everglades (Florida), Great Smoky Mountains (North Carolina), then ultimately for 14 years at Yellowstone National Park. In this capacity, Bill educated visitors from near and far to the Natural Wonders, flora, fauna, local cultural heritage and history of “America’s Best Idea.” He was also an adjunct instructor for Bowling Green State University Center for Environmental Studies and guest speaker at other institutions of higher learning as well as a National Park Service off-site representative for programs at local schools, museums, and various organizations. Bill’s interpretive skills that allowed him to distill the complexities and transmit the essence of our national “Crown Jewels” are reflected in the following selections of many comments from his fellow rangers, park visitors, and academics who interacted with him. “You connect with people immediately …. your programs clearly bring a number of intangibles: survival, peace, beauty, wilderness, wonder and solitude …. Connecting with people on a deeper level is where the future of interpretation is going and you do it intuitively. Bravo!” Performance Review, Yellowstone, 2004 “Bill is an awesome instructor to have along on this trip. His knowledge of Yellowstone and his personality and ability to communicate concepts to the class added a lot to the trip. What I learned and experienced out here would not have been the same without Bill Wise.” One of 12 similar student/instructor reviews, Bowling Green State University Environmental Studies, 2003 “Dear Ranger Wise …. Two kids from Germany are still very proud to be Yellowstone Junior Rangers and also still have very fond memories of
the time we spent in Yellowstone National Park.”
Visitors from Flierstadt, Germany, 1996
“Bill constantly strives to provide the best, most accurate and updated information. He is an avid resource reader …. Bill’s daily reports on the movements of bison at the Norris District have been appreciated by Mary Meagher (bison biologist) in her efforts to get a handle on what bison are doing parkwide …. "He is friendly and works exceptionally well with family groups, involving children as well as adults.” Performance Review, Yellowstone, 1994/95 “Dear Superintendent: I’m writing to tell you about the wonderful experience we had at the park, namely the night hike that we attended with Ranger Bill Wise …. Informative, witty …. a spectacular presentation. My 10-year-old son learned things he will ever forget, as also I …. I want to encourage you to present more programs of this sort. Not only are they educational for the children, I believe they engender the kind of respect and admiration for the forest that will help protect our valuable natural resources.” Visitors from Tampa, Florida to Gt. Smoky Mountains, 1993 “Dear Superintendent: Last week we took a tour through Everglades National Park and our guide was Bill Wise. Bill made the tour so interesting with his excellent commentary and vast knowledge of ecology and the life systems of the Everglades. He also has a good sense of humor …. We will never forget our wonderful tour thanks to Bill Wise.” Visitors from Oregon, 1985 “To the Park Headquarters: I wish to extend our gratitude to Bill Wise for the presentation he gave to our students. His professional
knowledge and interest in the Everglades was obvious and appreciated by all who attended …. Thank you for allowing Bill Wise to address our students.”
Professor of Military Science, University of Miami, 1984
“Dear Bill: Just a note to say how much your guided tour meant to the class …. Our field studies in the park were outstanding.” Professor of Botany, Lynchberg College, Lynchberg, VA., 1983 “To Bill Wise: a Certificate of Appreciation for success and Bill’s courtesies extended for the tribe’s Everglades Music Festival.” Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, 1981 As Bill’s sister Arlene always described his work: “If you know something – or even a great deal about a specific park – you will not be bored with a recitation of facts only. If you know nothing, you will learn painlessly, for Bill will capture your attention and imagination.” Bill was the ideal interpretive Ranger and fulfilled the Park Service’s objective of knowledge, respect, and admiration for these significant resources. “The chief aim of interpretation is not instruction but provocation.” Freeman Tilden During Bill’s years out West, he developed a profound love for the Greater Yellowstone Area and Bozeman, Montana. Nevertheless, Bill always remained a proud Ohioan and cheered lifelong for his OU Bobcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Cleveland Indians Baseball Team. Bill’s extraordinary intellect, encyclopediac knowledge, integrity, ethics and insight; his advocacy for all Human and Animal Rights; respect for the elderly; rapport with children – particularly in the Junior Ranger Program – honest patriotism; and infectious humor will sorely be missed. With his passing, his family and friends have lost a part of their souls. Although Bill loved flowers – cultivated or wild – and gifted them generously, we know he would appreciate any contributions in his honor to the: BILL WISE MEMORIAL FUND FOR WOLF AND BISON PRESERVATION at Yellowstone National Park. All contributions (checks or otherwise) are to be payable to: Yellowstone National Park. They MUST specify they are for the Bill Wise Memorial Fund for Wolf and Bison Preservation and submitted to: Yellowstone National Park Office of the Superintendent P.O. Box 168 Yellowstone, Wyoming 82190 Att: Ms. Kerri Evans “His love for the surrounding nature and his interest in the geysers, pools, springs and falls can be found in his entire demeanor. He speaks of Yellowstone as if he has always been there -- without it he’d be lost.” Visitors at Old Faithful encountering Bill, 2011 COVID-19 issues dictate that private memorial services be deferred to a later date to be announced.
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