Dirk M. Wilson ’84

Our class lost a Renaissance man when Dirk died June 28, 2020, of natural causes in Gainesville, Fla.

Dirk came to Princeton from Richardson High School in Texas after his gap year on an Israeli kibbutz and traveling in Europe. He majored in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, where his thesis on drug policy remains among the longest in department history. Dirk wielded saber for the fencing team, argued for the Debate Panel, and dined at Elm Club.

He studied law at Berkeley and the London School of Economics, and then clerked for Judge Jerre Williams of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. His contracts work for Docent, SumTotal, and Skillsoft took Dirk to Palo Alto and Gainesville. He was known for his passion for history, English biographies from Flashman to Churchill, travel, and eclectic sport clubs of rugby, boxing, and skeet. He will be remembered for his brilliant mind, ready wit, and larger-than-life personality.

The class extends its sympathies to his parents, Carol and Arthur Wilson; his sister, Heather Moore; and his two cherished nieces, Isabelle and Caroline.