NEWBERRY — This Friday, April 15, will be a special day at the Smith Road Complex. The Newberry College Athletics Department and the Wolves baseball team will honor the memory of the late W. Darr Wise, who passed away on November 22, 2021, at the age of 92.
Wise was a great lover of sports and attended all baseball, basketball and football games at Newberry College. He especially loved basketball and baseball and even attended many of the practice sessions. At the conclusion of the 2014 season, the baseball players honored him by presenting him with a special plaque for his support and encouragement throughout the seasons.
There is a permanent plaque that adorns the seat he always occupied at the Smith Road Complex and, although he had received many honors, he was especially proud of this one and liked to show to his friends when they visited him.
Wise was no stranger to the Newberry campus as he joined the faculty in 1956 as a member of the music department, teaching piano and music theory for 42 years, a skill he practiced at the institution during his high school years. He also served as the past president of the South Carolina Music Teachers Association and frequently adjudicated piano competitions throughout the southeast.
In addition to his service to Newberry College, Wise served as the organist/choirmaster at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Newberry for more than 52 years. His connection with the church extended into his two years of service in the Korean conflict, where he spent most of his time in Worms, Germany, a location that was important in the history of the Lutheran church.
A graduate of Brevard College, where he earned his Bachelor of Music, and Florida State University, where he earned his Master of Music, Wise was awarded with and honorary doctorate degree in music in 2006. At his retirement from the college in 1998, a rehearsal hall in the Alumni Music Center on campus was named in his honor.
To honor his memory, the baseball team will be hosting his family for a special ceremony prior to the start of their Friday night contest against Catawba, including a first pitch thrown out by one of his nephews. Newberry College athletics asks you to join them at the game Friday, April 15, with pre-game ceremonies slated to start at 5:45 p.m.
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