Memorial for former NPC president Art Wiese on Saturday

The National Press Club will honor former President Arthur E.F. Wiese Jr. at a memorial service at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Wiese, who served as club president in 1979, also chaired the committee that redesigned the Club in the early 1980s when the National Press Building underwent a full renovation.

Though Wiese had a full committee of members, he did almost all of the work himself, working with architects and designers. The appearance of the club today mostly reflects his efforts.

Wiese was born in Huntsville, Texas, on May 13, 1946. He came to Washington as a member of the bureau of the Houston Post. In 1973, at the age of 27, he was named bureau chief. When he served as president of the Press Club at 32, he was the youngest person ever to hold the post up until that time.

In 1982, Wiese left the Post for the American Petroleum Institute, where became vice president of public affairs. In 2000, he joined Entergy Corporation, a utility and nuclear power company, as vice president for corporate communications.

Wiese retired in 2012 and, on Election Day that year, suffered a brain aneurysm, which left him disabled until his death on Apr. 21, 2016.

The service in the Holeman Lounge will be followed by a reception in the First Amendment Lounge. Members who wish to attend are asked to inform the Club’s reservations department.