The Legacy of Bud Wilson

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of E.C. “Bud” Wilson, who had served as the president of the U-46 Educational Foundation since 2015. Bud passed away on Sept. 14 at the age of 93. 

While his leadership of the Foundation began in the last decade, he had been involved for nearly 60 years in work to support public education in the state’s second largest school district.

The father of six graduates of U-46, he served for 12 years on the U-46 Board of Education during the mid-1960s to mid-1970s, including some time as president. He was also a founding member of the Citizens’ Advisory Council (now called the Community Advisory Council), a Districtwide parent organization that has successfully pushed for new education policies and initiatives. 

In 2014, Bud joined the board of the U-46 Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization that expands opportunities for U-46 students beyond what is possible with tax dollars. The next year, he was named as its president. Under his leadership, the Board developed a new strategic plan and hired its first full-time coordinator. 

“He has been involved in education all his life, and U-46 was very near and dear to his heart,” said Foundation Coordinator Jean Bednar. “Bud was an engineer, and he applied that approach to getting the gears in place for the Foundation. His vision was that the Foundation oversee sizable endowment funds that would provide much-needed programming and supplies, as well as scholarships, for U-46 students well into the future. Now it's the legacy he has left us - to continue that work he started. But we will certainly miss his leadership.”

In addition to his contributions to U-46, Bud and his late wife, Marilyn, also a busy civic volunteer, inspired two of their six children, all college graduates, to become teachers and school board members, including former U-46 Board Member Amy Kerber. 

Amy said her father often told her and her siblings to live their values and that “you can’t complain about a problem if you are not willing to roll up your sleeves and become part of the solution.”

Bud was recognized at the 2020 Distinguished Service Awards Program by the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association. The statewide program honors those who have enhanced public education and conveyed its importance to the community on behalf of their schools and districts.