Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — While most people got to know Ted Wilson through his public work, especially as mayor of Salt Lake City in the 1970s and 1980s, Jessica Begum said he wasn't much different away from work.
She remembers her father as a person who always had a smile on his face, lighting up every room he walked into. He loved nature and to have fun, but he also loved to help others.
"He was an eternal optimist. He really saw things from a different light," she said, reflecting on her dad's life. "Whenever I (felt) I needed some uplifting or a different take on something, he always just turned it around. He always saw the cup as half full."
Begum believes his personality outside of work is what people saw during his tenure as Salt Lake City mayor from 1976 to 1985, and his many roles after that. It's also why she believes there has been an outpouring of support for her family from different sides of the political spectrum in the wake of his death on Thursday.
Wilson's family members gathered near his old office Monday, where Salt Lake City put together a small public memorial on the third floor of the Salt Lake City-County Building. The memorial will be open to the public between Tuesday and Friday, where friends, family and residents can view various photos and drawings of Wilson during his public life that have been placed on his old work desk.
People can also sign a guest book for the family. A public memorial service is planned for May 17 at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, one of Ted Wilson's daughters, said the timing is meant to give the family some time to grieve while also giving his many friends around the world enough time to schedule a trip back to Salt Lake City.
She, along with Begum, said the family isn't surprised that Ted Wilson left a legacy; they have been surprised by how far-reaching his legacy was.
"We already knew my dad was a hero to so many ... but we have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have reached out with their own stories with how he impacted them," Jenny Wilson said.
Ted Wilson was a founding member of the Alpenbock Climbing Club. In 1961, while he was an active member of the Utah National Guard, he and Robert Stout made the first recorded climb of Little Cottonwood Canyon.
There are so many things that happened in his era that set the stage for today.
–Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, on the legacy of her father
He would later use those skills in a daring rescue of an injured hiker at Grand Teton National Park in 1967; the Department of Interior awarded him and others the Valour Award for their efforts.
He also taught economics at Skyline High School, worked as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Wayne Owens and served as the director of Salt Lake County's social services program before he was elected as Salt Lake City's 30th mayor in 1975.
While in office, he oversaw one of the largest transformations in city government history. After scandals rocked the city, he oversaw the city's transformation from a commission system to the current mayor/city council system in 1979.
He also oversaw major infrastructure improvements, historical preservation ordinances, foothill preservation laws and the creation of new parks, as well as the city's response to widespread flooding in 1983, which included coordinating with church leaders to round up volunteers who helped mitigate the flooding and adopt a plan that turned State State into a makeshift river.
Those efforts fueled many of the flooding infrastructure improvements that have been made since 1983.
He also got the ball rolling on a few other things, getting Salt Lake City's foot in the door to host a Winter Olympics by engaging in the process decades before the city would land the global event.
He oversaw the city during efforts to bring Western Airlines — a company later acquired by Delta Air Lines — to Salt Lake City International Airport, as well. He also was in office when the New Orleans Jazz relocated to Utah, meeting with team leadership as that process unfolded.
"He set the groundwork," Jenny Wilson said. "There are so many things that happened in his era that set the stage for today."
Ted Wilson also served as an example of what politics should be, she added. While he was a registered Democrat opening the door for a run of Democratic mayors after him, Ted Wilson gained respect from both sides of the aisle during and after his time overseeing Utah's capital. He even served as the environmental adviser to Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican.
He served in other nonpartisan roles, as well, including as the director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah (1985 to 2003) and the director of the Utah Clean Air Partnership (2013 to 2017).
True to Ted Wilson's bipartisan legacy, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, a Democrat, both issued declarations last week that ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the former mayor.
His family says they believe the kind words and outpouring of support from both sides of the aisle since Thursday is an example of the life he lived, a life that transcended his work in politics.
"I think, fundamentally, it didn't matter who he met ... he was always kind to people," Jenny Wilson said. "There's a saying that, 'It's not what you made (people) think, it's how you made them feel.' I think he always made people feel great."
