"A Sad, Sad Loss Indeed" — Distinguished Alum John Wilke Dies of Cancer at 54
The New College of Florida community was stunned today by news that distinguished alumnus and prize-winning journalist John R. Wilke (’76) has passed away from pancreatic cancer. Wilke died on Friday, May 1, at his home in Bethesda, Maryland. His wife and fellow New College alum, Nancy Nadler Wilke (’75), and two of his brothers were with him at the time of his death.
Wilke was a 20-year veteran of The Wall Street Journal, holding key posts in their Washington and Boston bureaus during his career. Prior to joining the Journal in 1989, he also served as a staff writer with the Boston Globe from 1986-1989 and as a Washington correspondent for Business Week from 1984-1986.
“This is a sad, sad loss indeed, particularly for John’s family,” said New College President Mike Michalson upon learning of Wilke’s death. “John was an outstanding journalist and, judging by the tributes coming in from his New College classmates, a great and true friend as well. Our hearts go out to his family and to all who knew him.”
Noted for his keen instincts, his meticulous attention to detail and his incisive reporting on the intersection between business and politics, Wilke received one of the national press corps’ most coveted awards in 2007 when he earned the Everett McKinley Dirksen Prize for Distinguished Coverage of Congress from the National Press Foundation. He also received a Computer Press Association Award, along with San Francisco-based colleague David Banks, for their coverage of the Justice Department’s long antitrust battle with Microsoft Corporation during the latter half of the 1990s.
Born in Illinois but raised in White Plains, New York, Wilke received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and biology from New College in 1981 before going on to earn a master’s degree from the Columbia Graduate School in Journalism.
Despite his New York roots, Wilke was an avid Boston Red Sox fan as well as a colleague and friend who drew praise from everyone he met. Obituaries appearing on Sunday and Monday in The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe and Washington Post all heaped praise on him, not just for his reportorial skills but also for his devotion to friends and family. A blog posted by his family entitled “The Wilke Way: A Remembrance of John R. Wilke” also was jammed with messages from friends and colleagues all wanting to share their memories of John and to send condolences to his family.
In addition to his wife, Wilke leaves a daughter, Robin; a son, Jackson; four brothers, Bill, Christopher, Mark and David; and his mother, Peg.
Members of the New College community can read more about and share remembrances of John by visiting the family’s memorial website at JohnRWilke.com.