Latest News: In Memoriam: Daniel Wilson

In Memoriam: Daniel Wilson

Emeritus professor of history Daniel J. Wilson of Bethlehem, Pa. Passed away on Friday, June 11. Wilson will be remembered at a celebration of life on October 10 in the Gideon F. Egner Chapel in Muhlenberg.

Friday, October 1, 2021 12:02 AM

The memorial service for Professor Daniel Wilson will take place on Sunday, October 10 at 2 p.m. Guests should be vaccinated and wear a mask for the duration of the service. A direct will be available for those who cannot attend in person.

For more than 40 years Wilson was a professor in the history department at Muhlenberg. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and his master’s and doctorate. from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to his work at Muhlenberg, he taught at John Hopkins and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Wilson joined Muhlenberg Faculty in 1978 and has made countless contributions to the College community during his decades of service. He retired as a history teacher in 2018.

In his early childhood, Wilson contracted polio, months before the Salk vaccine was available to children his age. During his graduate studies, he moved away from the history of medicine due to the significant degree that a disease had shaped his own life. While teaching at Muhlenberg in the 1980s, his own health complications – and his history with health-related stigma – coincided with the growing fear and uncertainty that was present at the start of the HIV epidemic. / AIDS in the United States. Researching and writing about polio from a survivor’s perspective shaped his interest in the history of medicine, resulting in valuable additions to public health, the emerging field of disability studies and in the Muhlenberg curriculum.

While at the College, Wilson introduced new courses in African American History (now Africana Studies), Women’s History, Environmental History, and the History of Medicine. He served on the faculty committee that successfully proposed the addition of a minor in women and gender studies, served on the program committee when a major in film studies was adopted and was one professors who championed the creation of the public health program in Muhlenberg.

His contributions to scholarship include the publication of eight books, including three on the polio epidemic and its survivors. He was a prolific author and publisher, writing or contributing dozens of articles and other works during his decades of study. Throughout his career and until his retirement, he continued to serve as an expert on disability studies and on polio and associated epidemics in newspapers and on the radio; his final interviews drew comparisons between responses to COVID-19 and polio, including the need to develop and distribute vaccines.

Wilson attended a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute on Disability Studies – an emerging field of study – in 2000 and received several prestigious scholarships and grants from institutions such as the NEH, the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and the American Council of Learned Societies. He received the Pennsylvanians with Disabilities Day Award in 2012.

Wilson is remembered by colleagues as a mentor in pedagogy and scholarship and as someone who could navigate difficult situations with an appropriate degree of good humor. His approach to teaching and his relationships with students were based on the belief that students should take ownership of their educational journey, with faculty and staff available to serve as mentors and guides. Wilson has influenced generations of alumni, many of whom attribute their career paths and research interests to his influence and encouragement. He has been hailed as an outstanding citizen of the College, having served on the majority of faculty committees and a commitment and passion to ensuring that the College pursues its mission of serving its students, faculty and staff. For many years he was an advisor to the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program.

Dan and his 38-year-old wife Carol were eternal supporters of Muhlenberg College, its teachers and students. The couple established an endowment fund, the Daniel J. and Carol Shiner Wilson Scholar Completion Scholarship, to help faculty carry out important research or comparable professional work. The Wilson’s were recognized as members of the Anna Maria Weiser Muhlenberg Circle of the College Life Giving Society, the 1848 Circle Society, and the Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Society.

At Muhlenberg he was frequently cited for his contributions to scholarship, teaching, and service. He was awarded the Class of 1932 Research Chair in 1986 and 2008 and also received the Paul C. Empie Memorial Award (2005) and Outstanding Advisor to Freshmen (1998).

Beyond Muhlenberg, he helped establish the Disability History Association and served on the editorial board of the History of Medicine Bulletin– the first newspaper in the field. He was a member of the board of directors and chairman of the board of directors of Post-Polio Health International. He has also served on the board of directors of the Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living, including two terms as president, as well as three terms on the board of directors of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital.

Wilson is survived by his wife, brother, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and nieces and nephews.