Walter Wise

January 11, 1944 - June 11, 1993

A. Walter Wise, Jr., 49, Houston, Texas, formerly of Rock Island and Davenport, died Friday, June 11, 1993, at home.

Services were held at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Rock Island. Inurnment was in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Davenport.

Mr. Wise was born January 11, 1944, in Davenport, the son of Dr. A. Walter and Mary V. Kuhl Wise. He married Celia G. Gomez Sept. 21, 1991, in Houston.

He earned a juris doctorate degree from University of Denver School of Law, where he was on the law review, and a bachelor of arts degree in business and economics from Vanderbilt University.

He participated as a member of the Vanderbilt University golf and swimming teams, winning Southeast Conference titles in three-meter and one-meter diving. He continued in later life as an avid swimmer, runner and golfer.

He provided legal services and managed the legal affairs for two major U.S. mining companies for more than 15 years. He last served as associate general counselor for the Battle Mountain Gold Company.

Before moving to Houston in 1987, he was a resident of Colorado, where he was a senior counselor for Amax Inc.

He began his legal career as an attorney in the office of general counselor for the U.S. Forest Service, Denver.

He was a member of the Texas Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, and the American Corporate Counsel Association.

His areas of expertise included environmental matters, governmental affairs, new mine development, legal resource management and litigation and international, corporate, mining and public-land law. During his career, he secured authorizations for world-class mining operations in North and South America. In addition, he dedicated himself to the general development of mining, environmental and public land-use law. Most recently he was chairman of the American Bar Association (ABA) International Resources Committee, and previously chairman of the ABA Public Lands and Land Use Committee.

Survivors include the widow; a daughter, Christine E. Wise, Denver; a son, A. Walter Wise III, Houston; his mother, Rock Island; and a brother, William A. Wise, El Paso, Texas.