Ted Wilson passed away on April 11, 2024, leaving behind a vast legacy of public service and optimism. Ted Wilson was the former Salt Lake City Mayor from 1976 to 1985, a University of Utah employee, and a well-known outdoor recreationalist and conservationist. These and other activities are documented in the Marriott Library’s collections, including Ted L. Wilson photograph collection, the Alpenbock Climbing Club’s scrapbooks, and Ted Wilson’s oral history from June 2011.

In countless oral histories, people share their stories of Mayor Ted Wilson. As Jerry Anderegg described, “I think Ted Wilson is the same kind of a person [to Rick Reese], you know. I say cerebral, very smart… capable but smart” (page 16). Rick Reese recounted, “They’ve all been great friends ever since. But Ted and I became particularly close. First of all, we were climbing at pretty much the same standard at the time and we just hit it off. He and I are probably best friends and have been since we were eighteen or nineteen years old. Our families have grown up together” (page 17).

Throughout his life, Mayor Ted Wilson maintained a deep connection to Little Cottonwood Canyon through skiing, climbing, and conservation work. As he recounted in his oral history, “Then another tradition we had that we did, I think three times, maybe four times, was in the spring… we put our skis on our packs and we would climb the south ridge of Mount Superior. I think we were the first ones to actually ski that big face on Superior… An adventuresome ski, and it was for us. We had to be really careful” (page 67). As a member of the Alpenbock Climbing Club, Mayor Ted Wilson had the first known ascent in Little Cottonwood Canyon on a route called Chickenhead Holiday in 1961. In Bob Springmeyer’s oral history he states, “We acted as the mountain rescue group for the county sheriff’s office, so we were very active in that. We were active with closing some open caves and mines, and we were active with access. Ted worked, you know, when he was mayor, did a lot of work for protecting access in Little Cottonwood Canyon” (page 18). Mayor Ted Wilson’s lifelong dedication to Little Cottonwood Canyon was more recently demonstrated by his involvement with the historical nomination and advocacy events.

As mentioned in his obituary, a public celebration will be on Friday, May 17, 10 am, Rice-Eccles Stadium Tower. The Marriott Library extends our deepest condolences to Mayor Ted Wilson’s family and friends.