George M. Wilson ’58

George died June 21, 2014, after a long illness.

He came to Princeton from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Va. At Princeton, George was a politics major and a member of Tiger Inn. He roomed with Bim Beckman and Hans Jepson.

George served as a guide at the American National Exhibition in Moscow during the summer of 1959 and met his future wife, Joyce, who was also a guide. Upon his return from Russia he began his lifelong study of Asia, earning a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Harvard in 1960 and 1965, respectively. He taught Japanese history for 50 years, 35 of them at Indiana University, where he became director and professor emeritus of the East Asian Studies Center and professor emeritus of history and East Asian languages and cultures.

A 50-year member of the American Historical Association, he chaired the Conference on Asian History for 22 years. In 2003 he was honored with the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government for distinguished achievement in the fields of international relations and promotion of Japanese culture.

To his wife of 54 years, Joyce; his sister Suzanne (Redmond); his children, George David (Cynthia) and Elizabeth (Sean); and grandchildren Isaac, Maxim, Grace, Grant, and August, the class extends deepest sympathy.