The University of Alberta banner is flying at half-mast from February 28-March 3, 2023 in remembrance of Dr. John Richard Wilson, Professor Emeritus of Classics and Department Chair from 1982-1987 for the Department of History, Classics, and Religion in the Faculty of Arts.
John Richard Wilson, distinguished academic and professor at the University of Alberta, died from pneumonia and other health complications on February 21, 2023 at the University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton. John was born on June 16, 1931 in Leeds, England, to Frank Percy Wilson and Joanna (Perry-Keene) Wilson. His father was a professor at the University of Leeds and his mother was among the first women graduates from Oxford University.
He is survived by his beloved and loving wife of 55 years Natalya (Natasha) Wilson, who was with him almost constantly after he was admitted to hospital on January 10, 2023; his son David Wilson (Michele) of Atlanta, Georgia; and daughter Antonia (Toni) Bluher (Gregory) of Ellicott City, Maryland. The children's mother was John's first wife, Elvie Nicolopoulos (they were divorced in 1967). He is also mourned by grandchildren Katherine, Jacob and Elizabeth Wilson, and Andrew, Julia and Sarah Bluher. John's great grandchildren include Ashwin Vengurlekar, Casey and Julian Beach, and Matthew and Evangelina Baldea. John was predeceased by his two older siblings, Stephen and Elizabeth, and is survived by his brother Robin (Caroline) and their children Kate, Olivia and their families in England.
The son of accomplished academics, John received an excellent education as did his siblings. His father was a literary scholar and bibliographer and his last academic appointment was as Merton Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford from 1947 to 1957. He was an editor of the Oxford History of English Literature, and prepared the Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs, assisted by his wife. He was the tutor of C. S. Lewis.
John's primary school studies were disrupted by World War II when his parents, in order to avoid the dangers of the London Blitz, sent him and his three siblings, on separate boats or planes, to the US to be cared for by an academic friend, Herbert John Davis, President of Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts. On return to England, John attended University College School, London and then went on to do BA and MA studies in English and Classics at Lincoln College, Oxford.
His war-time stay in the US, prompted him to choose that country for further studies and he did some graduate work at Harvard. Among his accomplishments was a translation of Euripides' play Bacchae, which was also performed. In the US, John undertook military service and was stationed at Colorado Springs where he learned to play the bagpipes. At this time, he travelled to Greece where he met his first wife and they married in 1959 and went to California where he attended the University of California, Berkeley, for doctoral studies in Classics (his PhD dissertation was on Euripides). He was a Woodrow Wilson Scholar. Children David and Toni were born in California.
John taught Classics, Greek and Latin at Indiana University, Bloomington; and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In Bloomington, at the university, he met Natasha Lopato, neé Kanabeiev whose parents were refugees from Russia after the Revolution and they married in 1968. In 1971, they came to Edmonton where he joined the Department of Classics, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Alberta. John became a full professor in 1979 and served as Classics Department Chair from 1982 to 1987. He taught a variety of courses and published extensively. After retirement in 1996, he served as Emeritus Professor. He is remembered with affection by former students one of whom noted: "John's knowledge and enthusiasm brought to life the works of ancient writers such as Thucydides, Euripides and Aristophanes making them almost contemporary and relevant."
John was a witty conversationalist and avidly kept up on world affairs . Because of failing vision, he listened to audio books of literature as well as economic and political histories. He was a gifted pianist having studied from an early age with Leonie Hock Gombrich, Austrian-born and trained pianist, and mother of art historian E. H. Gombrich. Until the end of his life, he spent many hours at his Steinway piano playing the music of favourite composers.
After his retirement, John started running and ran several marathons or half marathons including one for those over 70. He was familiar with the River Valley trails near his Garneau home and could be seen there in all types of weather. He was also an avid hiker and enjoyed organizing back packing trips to the Rockies, first with Natasha; then, with children David and Toni; and, later with their children as well.
Profound thanks are offered to the doctors and nurses in the geriatric ward at the U of A Hospital for their compassionate care for John.
For information about lowering the University of Alberta banner, visit the In Memoriam webpage.