Memorial Service set for Saturday, Sept. 17 for former NPC President Wiese

The National Press Club will honor former President Arthur E.F. Wiese Jr. at a Memorial Service at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.

Wiese, who served as club president in 1979, also chaired the New Club Committee that redesigned the Club in the early 1980s when the Press Building was undergoing 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. In 1973, at the age of 27, he was named Washington bureau chief of the Houston Post. When he served as president of the Press Club at age 32, he was the youngest person ever to hold the post in its then 71-year history.

In 1982, Wiese left the Post for the American Petroleum Institute, where he rose to become vice president of public affairs. In 2000, he joined Entergy Corporation, a major 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 Memorial 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 to determine an advance count of attendees.