Gary Wihl, the Hortense and Tobias Lewin Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Humanities at Washington University in St. Louis, died Thursday, July 17, 2025, in Clayton, Mo., after battling Parkinson’s disease. He was 72.
Wihl served as dean of Arts & Sciences from 2009 to 2012. During his tenure, Wihl expanded the ranks of Arts & Sciences faculty, recruiting a number of key academic leaders, and led new scholarly initiatives, including an innovative program of faculty research and development with support from the Mellon Foundation (with co-principal investigator Steven Zwicker). Wihl also made strides in addressing the faculty gender pay gap and oversaw renovations of Umrath and Cupples II halls.
“Gary was resolutely committed to building the faculty in Arts & Sciences and was especially focused on recruiting and supporting junior faculty,” said Kit Wellmon, a professor of philosophy in Arts & Sciences. “Some were frustrated that his emphasis on hiring faculty did not leave more money for other initiatives, but the influx of high-caliber scholars unquestionably rejuvenated the college.”
Wihl also was a scholar of 19th- and 20th-century English and American literature and authored two monographs: “Ruskin and the Rhetoric of Infallibility” (1985) and “The Contingency of Theory: Pragmatism, Expressivism, and Deconstruction” (1994). Born in Canada and educated at McGill and Yale universities, Wihl also held leadership positions at Emory and Rice universities before arriving at WashU in 2009. He retired in 2021.
He is survived by his brothers and their spouses, David (Chrysanthi) and Lloyd (Ivona); his sister, Joyce; as well as six nephews and nieces. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested in Wihl’s name to the Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Sarah Greenberg Living Donor Champion Fund.