Warren Wilson Mourns Former President and Alumnus Bill Christy ’79

Dear Warren Wilson Community,

I write with sad news. Bill Christy ’79, a distinguished attorney; former Warren Wilson College President, Board Chair and Emeritus Trustee; proud Warren Wilson College alumnus; and friend and mentor to many, died yesterday. Bill and his wife, Deirdre, were returning from visiting their grandchild and family in Durham.

One of the biggest blessings of serving as President was the opportunity to get to know Bill. A mentor, confidante and cheerleader, Bill exemplified all the virtues of character that leaders should aspire to. The fact that he was learning Spanish, reading books on Cuba, and enjoyed lunches at Cousins Cuban Cafe cemented our friendship. But everyone was a friend of Bill’s and with good reason.

Bill loved his family—especially his three grown children and grandson—his community and his alma mater. Bill’s dedication to Warren Wilson spanned decades and began standing in a pool of water in the Hermann N. Morse Science Hall. He was on the Plumbing Crew and was sent to Morse to fix a urinal. In a May 2016 interview with the Asheville Citizen Times he recalled that inauspicious start when he learned a critical lesson: “Do not disassemble a device under pressure without turning the water off.”

Bill’s journey was all up from there. In fact, when Bill was a senior, President Ben Holden asked Bill to serve as Interim Director. Bill gave the same answer then—”yes”—that he has given to countless others during his 50 year relationship with Warren Wilson College.

After earning his English degree at Warren Wilson, Bill earned a MAT in English from UNC-Chapel Hill, a JD from North Carolina Central University School of Law, and an LL.M. in taxation from the University of Florida. He practiced law in Durham before returning to Western North Carolina to co-found Stone & Christy in Black Mountain. He retired in 2021 while continuing in an “of counsel” role.

Bill has served Warren Wilson as Trustee, Board Chair, and Trustee Emeritus. In recognition of his many contributions to Warren Wilson—even before the Board of Trustees selected him in May of 2022 to serve as Interim President—Bill was the recipient of the College’s Distinguished Service Award in October 2019. This award is given to someone who demonstrates the ideals of Warren Wilson, and who has dedicated their time or talents beyond the call of duty in the service of the College.

As Interim President from 2022–2023, Bill knew that there was no time to waste and that he could not simply rest on the “status quo” during his year as President. He kept things moving forward, leading with compassion, optimism, and a steady hand during a very uncertain time. In only a year he set the stage and designed the process for a new strategic action framework for the College aimed at restoring budget stability and enhancing our academic programs and the student experience. He started the process to create a new Shared Governance model, and he laid the groundwork for the budget planning and modeling for the next several years.

On May 17, 2023, as Bill finished his term as President, he wrote to the Warren Wilson Community: “Serving as President has been the highest honor of my career, and I am grateful for your gracious reception and support. I have full confidence that this community will, together, rise to the occasion and meet the challenges of this time. Warren Wilson will always be in my heart, and I am just down the road in Black Mountain! I’ll see you around.”

The College dedicated a tree to Bill in our Presidential Grove near the Formal Gardens at a Presidential Tree Dedication Ceremony on May 16, 2024.

To honor him, I encourage you to take a moment to walk outside and appreciate what Bill referenced in his address to the Class of 2017: “This blessed valley, the fields, the forest and the incomparable beauty of this place, which is our place.”

A celebration of life will take place Thursday, October 8, at 2 p.m. at the Warren Wilson College Presbyterian Church. True to Bill Christy’s spirit: all are welcome. In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Bill may be made to the William H. Christy ’79 Scholarship Fund at Warren Wilson College or the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry.

Damián