Tenn. Lt. Gov. Will Visit U of M Today for Dedication of Namesake Building
For release: August 25, 2003
For press information, contact Curt Guenther

The newly renovated John S. Wilder Tower at the University of Memphis will be officially dedicated at 5 p.m. today. The long-time Tennessee legislator for whom the building is named will be guest of honor at the ceremony.

Wilder will join U of M President Shirley Raines, local and state dignitaries, and members of the University community for the dedication. It will be held at the eastern entrance to the 12-story building.

In announcing the dedication, President Raines called the veteran lawmaker, "…a friend of the University of Memphis and a friend of education throughout Tennessee. He has recognized the important role higher education plays in the lives of individuals and in the well being of the state. Because of that, it is very appropriate that this building, which will be of great benefit to students at the University of Memphis, be named in honor of John Wilder."

The tower was built in 1967, with more than 100,000 square feet of library space. After the new Ned McWherter Library opened in the fall of 1994, the tower was designated for its current use. Partly through the efforts of Lt. Gov. Wilder, the University obtained state funding to renovate the tower to accommodate all student services on the campus, such as admissions, registration, financial aid, bursar's office, and others. The location of all such services in one place will make it much easier for students to handle the processes and paperwork that are involved with enrollment.

Wilder, a native of Fayette County, entered state politics in 1959, serving a two-year term as senator. Although he did not seek re-election immediately after that term, he did run again six years later. Since his 1966 election to the state senate, he has served continuously in that body; and since 1971, he has been speaker of the senate, a position that also carries the title of lieutenant governor.

Wilder, 82, is the longest-serving current presiding official of any state or national legislative body in the United States.

He holds a 1958 degree in law from Memphis State University Law School, a forerunner of the University's Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.

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