In 1942, William (Bill) V. Wiist enrolled as a student at Southwestern Junior College. But before the close of the 1942-1943 school year, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in the Pacific Theater through the end of World War II, reaching the rank of master sergeant. At age 21, he was the youngest serviceman to hold the post of sergeant major of a battalion. Bill completed his degree in business administration at Union College in 1949, and that same year he became business manager of Sunnydale Academy in Missouri. He married Arlene Thomas in 1951.

Called as secretary-treasurer of the Dominican Conference in 1954, and as treasurer of the Central American Union in 1958, Bill served in the mission field for 10 years. In 1959, he was ordained to the ministry. He always considered his missionary service the most rewarding period of his life. Returning to the U.S. in 1964, Bill became administrator of Ardmore Adventist Hospital in Oklahoma, developing it from a 25-bed facility to a 105-bed facility. His next assignment was to plan, design, and supervise the construction of and to staff the new Huguley Memorial Hospital in South Fort Worth. His last position as a denominational worker was as treasurer of the Texas Conference.

Bill spent 14 years as chairman of the board and president of the Ardmore Institute of Health, the parent corporation of the Lifestyle Center of America, a world-class facility providing preventive health care in Oklahoma. Bill and Arlene had three children, Linda Knutson, Michael Wiist, and Debbie Speyer, all Southwestern graduates, and four grandchildren. Bill passed away on October 7, 1998, just six months after being inducted into Southwestern’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

Scholarship award requirements

The William V. Wiist Scholarship is awarded to a business major and is based on academic achievement and financial need.

Student Recipients 

2019-2020 -Judy Cuevas, Zeman Feng

2018-2019 -Daniel Ramirez

2016-2017 - Nicole Watler 

2015-2016 - Mario Pena 

2014-2015 - Michael Casco 

2013-2014 - Roselyn Trevino 

2012-2013 - Cameron Burks 

2011-2012 - Justin Lopez 

2010-2011 - Ernest Maitland