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OBITUARIES

Walter Wager ’44, Devoted Alumnus and Spy Novelist

Walter Wager ’44

Walter Wager ’44, class president, longtime CCT class correspondent and a devoted alumnus, passed away on July 11 in Manhattan. The New York Times described Wager’s crime and spy thrillers — including 58 Minutes, which was adapted as the 1990 Bruce Willis film Die Hard 2 — as “a catalog of modern mayhem, nuclear and otherwise.” Wager, who lived on the Upper West Side, was 79.

Born on September 4, 1924, in the Bronx, Wager attended high school at Franklin School in New York City. At the College, where he earned a B.A. in political science, Wager fenced on the freshman team and lettered in varsity baseball. He also was active on Spectator and Jester; at CURC, WKCR’s predecessor; and in The Pre-Law Society; and he served as chairman of the Elections Commission. Though he attended Harvard Law School, receiving a degree in 1946 and passing the New York State Bar, he never practiced. Wager received a master’s in aviation law in 1949 from Northwestern University and from 1949–51 was a Fulbright scholar at the Sorbonne in Paris, where he met his first wife, Sylvia Leonard.

Wager began his freelance writing career in 1951 but was rarely without a full-time job, writing and producing for CBS radio and television, where he worked for Edward R. Murrow, and for NBC-TV. He served as editor-in-chief at Playbill from 1963–66, and from then until 1978 was editor of ASCAP Today at the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; he later was its public relations director. In the mid-1980s, Wager was director of communications for The Juilliard School and in the early 1990s served as director of public information for the University of Bridgeport.

Starting in 1956 with Operation Intrigue, written under the pseudonym Walter Herman (his first and middle names), Wager published more than 30 novels and books of nonfiction. In addition to 58 Minutes, two other novels became movies: Telefon (Macmillan, 1975), which became the eponymous 1977 spy movie starring Charles Bronson, and Viper Three (Macmillan, 1971), which became 1977’s Twilight’s Last Gleaming, starring Burt Lancaster. Under the pseudonym John Tiger, Wager wrote paperback action thrillers based on the television shows I Spy and Mission Impossible.

Wager was a well-known wit and raconteur, even though it could occasionally get him into trouble — he was once fired for describing a previous employer as having the “personality of a vending machine.”

“Walter had an acute sensitivity for the absurd that is in all of us, and he often shared his perceptions,” noted Jay Topkis ’44, who spoke eloquently at Wager’s funeral. “But there was a gentleness to him: His jibes always stopped short of inflicting real pain. We shall miss him bitterly.”

An exceptionally active alumnus, Wager regularly was on campus, attending homecoming games, receptions and class reunions. Serving as his class’ CCT class correspondent since Class Notes’ inception in 1980, his witty writing was a hit with classmates. He also was a founding member of Columbia University Remembrance, a group of alumni helping to create a permanent campus memorial for Columbia’s war dead.

Wager’s daughter, Lisa, said, “Dad loved Columbia, and the friendships he made there were his core friendships that lasted the rest of his life. The only sporting event I can remember his ever going to in four decades was the homecoming game, but he went religiously. And we all know it wasn’t for the game! He gave back to the University for as long as I can remember. Most recently, he was very proud to be on the 250th Committee — he came up with the idea for the parade along Broadway from the College’s first location up to Morningside Heights. His support for the College continued up to his last days.”

In addition to his daughter, from his first marriage, Wager is survived by his wife of 29 years, Winifred McIvor Wager; and two granddaughters. His first wife, from whom he was divorced, died in 1989.

Wager’s daughter has established a fund to support his wife. Donations may be sent, care of Lisa Wager, to Fund for Win Wager, 400 Riverside Dr., Apt. 1A, New York, NY 10025-1838.

Lisa Palladino

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