Obituary: Leslie Eugene Wilbur Co-Founded the Pullias Lecture
Leslie Eugene Wilbur, professor emeritus of higher education, died in Honolulu on February 9 at the age of 97. “Les,” as he was known to friends, was a force of living kindness who enjoyed a beautiful, impactful life and who was admired by many. He had an impeccable work ethic, a wonderful curiosity and a grand sense of humor. Long after his retirement, former students and colleagues sought his advice, which was always simple, practical and wise.
Born in Modesto, California, Wilbur grew up during the Depression in a working-class family. He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army (1943-46) and went to the University of Illinois on the G.I. Bill, graduating in 1948. He then completed a master’s degree in English at UC Berkeley in 1951. He began his teaching career at Bakersfield College as an English instructor and later assumed the role of associate dean.
In 1962, he earned his Ph.D. in higher education at the University of Southern California and became the founding president of Barstow College. Three years later, he received an invitation to join the USC faculty and served as a professor of higher and postsecondary education (1965-1989). His teaching focused on community college leadership and governance.
In his memoir Destination USC: Via Pluck, Luck and the GI Bill (2017), Wilbur expressed great appreciation for the transformative power of higher education. In gratitude, he made the most of his time at USC, serving as department chair (1968-85) as well as president of the USC Academic Senate (1972-73).
Together with his wife, Norma June Lash Wilbur, and close friends, Wilbur leaves behind a lasting legacy to the University. In 1978, he co-founded the annual Pullias Lecture, dedicated to the memory of his USC friend, teacher and mentor, Earl V. Pullias. Now in its 42nd year, the lecture brings a nationally recognized scholar to the USC campus to participate in an ongoing dialogue on significant topics in higher and postsecondary education. He also was instrumental in securing funding for the Earl and Pauline Pullias Center for Higher Education, established at USC in 2012, and now a leading research center focusing on student access and success in higher education. In addition, together with his good friend and colleague Evelyn Kieffer, Dr. Wilbur established the Wilbur-Kieffer Professorship of Higher Education and Postsecondary Education, currently held by Dr. Adrianna Kezar.
Dr. Wilbur also sponsored scholarships at both Barstow College and USC and was the founder of the Annual Honolulu American Civil Liberties Union Award for a Student Defender of Civil Liberties. A lover of travel, the fine arts and crossword puzzles, he also wrote a series of short stories and three readers’ theater plays to entertain the residents at The Arcadia, where he resided in retirement.
He is predeceased by his wife of 47 years, Norma Wilbur, and survived by his daughter Lesley (B.A., USC ’73), son Stuart (B.A., USC ’86), grandchildren Sydney Wilbur Fernandez (B.A., USC ’03) and Scott Wilbur (Ph.D., USC ’17), three great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Services were private. Donations to the Pullias Lecture are appreciated.