Necrology

Alexander Wilhelm Wenner '61

May. 30, 1939-Mar. 12, 2020

Alexander Wilhelm Wenner ’61, a man of intellect who spent his career as a cataloger in university libraries, died on March 12, 2020, in Boonsboro, Md., at the age of 80.

An economics major at Hamilton, Wenner went on to earn a master’s degree in library science in 1964 from the Univer­sity of California at Berkeley and, in the early 1980s, a master’s degree in ancient history from Northern Illinois University.

Born on May 30, 1939, in Basel, Switzerland, Wenner was the son of research chemist Wilhelm Karl Wenner and the former Gisela Maria Schreiner. He graduated from Montclair (N.J.) High School, then was off to Hamilton.

Asked in an alumni survey to cite his College interests, instead of checking any of the provided boxes, Wenner wrote in his own responses — studying, reading, learning, contemplation, and observation. He was part of the Squires Club, later writing about its impact on his life and values. He also talked about Hamilton’s “superb faculty.”

Wenner wrote that Hamilton “instilled in me (along with my parents) a love of learning. Unfortunately, to be relevant, it should have taught me how to cut corners, exploit weaknesses, dance on the edge of legitimacy, loyalty, etc. But I have forgiven Hamilton its (and my) naivete.”

On the occasion of his 50th Hamilton reunion, he wrote that by then he’d lived in 11 states and most of Western Europe, worked as a cataloger in university libraries in 13 languages, and was teaching himself Russian. His library career took him to Northern Illinois University, Rand Corporate, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Massachusetts.

Wenner served in the U.S. Army from September 1964 to June 1967, doing tours of duty in Baumholder and Kaiserslautern, Germany. He was honorably discharged with the rank of E-4.

A published obituary described him as an avid follower of the stock market who lived a simple life and gave away his wealth, establishing two nursing scholarships to honor his mother, who was a nurse. The two things Wenner prized most were his 1965 Ford Mustang and the weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal. He was a member of the Mensa Society.

Survivors include his younger brother and sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

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