A memorial and worship service to remember William N. Wishard, III, 82, will be held tomorrow, Friday, June 28, at 1:30 EST at the Second Presbyterian Church, in Indianapolis, Indiana. For those who could not attend in person, the funeral will be livestreamed click here.The recording will remain on the website for seven days after the service.
Bill passed away on January 17, 2024. A 20-year Malibu resident, he was the Rotary Assistant Governor (and guest speaker at the Palisades Rotary) many times.
He was born June 26, 1941, in Indianapolis, to Dr. William Niles Wishard, Jr. and Carolyn Davis Wishard. Bill attended Park Tudor School (class of 1959), and then Williams College (1964), where he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity.
He initially went pre-med but took a year off from studies to participate in an organization working to promote conflict resolution in Southeast Asia.
When he returned to Williams, he had a private conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., after King’s speech at that college.
King encouraged him to keep believing in his own dream of “changing the world through changing people’s hearts.”
That inspired Bill to drop his pre-med studies and focus on international community-engaged humanitarian work that included Up With People, 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Elan Vital, Williams College Alumni Association, Psi Upsilon Fraternity, Rotary International, Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital Brain Injury Alumni Association, Wings over Wendy’s, the U.S. Census and was also as a federal election poll worker.
He produced the first Super Bowl Half-time Show featuring Up With People, which became the only musical group to perform at the Super Bowl half-time four times.
Bill is survived by his daughters Carolyn Wishard Wootton & Alison Wishard Guerra; his grandchildren Brady William Wootton, Sofía Alexandra Wishard Guerra and Alina Luz Monteros Guerra; his best friend and former wife, Mary Wishard; his siblings Susan Poston and Gordon Wishard; their children Sarah Poston, Chris Poston, Claire Wishard Hoppenworth & Gordon Wishard Jr., and their beloved children Eli & Emily Hoppenworth, Mac & Nate Sanders, Kai & Tate Poston, and Watson Wishard; and his cousins Gerald Hallett, Diana Wishard Clemente, and Van Wishard Jr.
The family has requested contributions to Park Tudor School, Williams College, Psi Upsilon, and Rotary.
Bill Wishard was active in Rotary. He presented Nancy Cleveland the Rotarian of the Year Award at the Palisades Demotion Party in 2023 at the Bel-Air Bay Club. President Marie Tran (left) looks on.