He was an ace that Bonnie Cone, the "birth-mother of UNCC," played from the stacked deck she used to win university status for her beloved Charlotte College.
"He" was Dr. William "Bill" Wubben of Davidson, the first of the UNCC team she "hired" for the fledgling college in 1964. He died May 2, 2008, at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center at age 83.
Bonnie knew she'd never get the coveted university status without high-powered names and degrees to earn that recognition and she couldn't get the names and degrees without it. So she hired the educators without a way to pay them. When her hand was called, she showed her aces and won the pot.
"Bill Friday (UNC president ) met with her and followed the exact strategy she thought he would follow," said attorney Louis Trosch. "She was a woman way ahead of her time in a man's world. That story was never told publicly, and it was one of Wubben's favorites."
Helped lay foundation
"Dr. Wubben was one of the pioneers who helped launch UNC Charlotte," said Ken Sanford, the retired director of information at UNCC. "He was there when the institution made the transition to university status from Charlotte College; Bonnie Cone trusted his judgment. He helped lay the foundation for what is now the Belk College of Business at the university. On a personal level, I remember him as a man of great courage and determination. I recall seeing him heading across campus to faculty meetings with the aid of his braces. Yet, he never asked for sympathy, and despite his mobility problems, he tried to carry out his duties in as nearly a normal fashion as any of his colleagues."Dr. Wubben, a Chicago native who had been stricken with childhood polio, earned his undergraduate and MBA degrees from University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in political economy from Claremont University College (now Claremont Graduate University).
In the days before handicap access was the norm, Bill overcame obstacles and followed his calling to academia. He came to Charlotte in 1958 to join the faculty of Pfeiffer College, then taught at Davidson College from 1960 to 1963, before Bonnie Cone played her winning hand.
He was the first chairman of the economics and business department until the College of Business was founded in 1971. When he retired in 1988, a conference room in the Friday Building was named for him for his leadership in forming the Belk College of Business.
He was part of his church
Faith was also an important part of Bill's life, and he joined Advent Lutheran Church soon after it was founded in 1969. He was chairman of the finance committee and the church council. He worked in the Lutheran Men in Mission and in 1992 was awarded Lifetime Membership in the N.C. Lutheran Men in Mission. He was also active in the church's outreach to UNCC students.
"He was a neat guy, very special and unassuming," said the Rev. Richard Little, his minister of 22 years. "He liked to do things anonymously; he was very supportive of the church and had a deep love of God."
Cousin LeAnna Grell said, "He was very intelligent. He had polio years back and was on crutches. Some didn't think he'd be able to teach or be an example for teachers, but he beat the adversity of crutches and disease and went for his doctorate."
Sometimes, adversity brings out the very best in us, yes?
It's a Matter
of Life... Gerry
Hostetler
