Walt Wise

November 5, 1951 - February 12, 2026

Walter Wise, 74, who served as General President of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers from 2011 to 2015, died peacefully at his home in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Born in Bluefield, West Virginia, and raised in South Pasadena, Walt returned to Virginia in 1969 to study engineering at Virginia Tech. For his first summer break, he had planned to return to California when a friend invited him to join him working with the Iron Workers. "After the first day, I knew that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life." It was a decision he never regretted.

Walt began his career as an ironworker in 1973 and completed his apprenticeship with Local 697 in 1977. After working extensively in the field, both locally and as a boomer, he was elected Recording Secretary in 1981 and later Business Manager of Local 697 in 1989. Appointed General Organizer in 1997, he went on to serve as President of the Mid-Atlantic District Council, General Vice President, General Treasurer, and General Secretary. In 2011, he was unanimously elected to serve as the 12th General President of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers.

During his tenure as General President, Walt launched the international "See Something! Say Something!" campaign. He was proud that this campaign contributed to a steady decline in ironworker fatalities.

He also served as a vice-resident of the AFL-CIO, on the Building and Construction Trades Department Governing Board of Presidents, and on the executive council of the AFL-CIO, serving on many of its committees. Upon his retirement, the AFL-CIO noted:  "The Iron Workers are recognized as one of the safest, most knowledgeable and hardest working skilled labor forces in North America, and that's a testament, in part, to Wise's drive, passion and focus."

During his tenure as General President of the Iron Workers, he also chaired the Pharmaceutical Industry Labor-Management Association. He also served as co-chair of the Ironworkers Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust and as Treasurer of the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans. 

After his retirement, Walter and his wife, Liz, sold their house in Northern Virginia and traveled the United States and Canada in their Jaguar convertible for 18 months, backpacking and enjoying both national parks and nice resorts. In 2020, they settled into their new home in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where Walter pursued his love of hiking, gardening, travel, and cooking. He was very proud to have won first place in his neighborhood community's Chili Cookoff. Walt also loved to play golf with his buddies in the neighborhood and his ironworker colleagues.

In addition to his wife, Walter is survived by his daughter, Lauren and her husband, Bobby Shkolnikov, and two grandchildren; his sister Lisa Pease (SPHS '72) and her husband, David; nieces and several cousins.

Walt had no greater love than his family - a loose term he used to describe everyone near and dear to him, including the many friends from high school, college, all phases of his ironworker career, in-laws and friends he acquired late in life, and the thousands of Iron Worker brothers and sisters whose safety he made his top priority.

Church Street Funeral & Cremation, February 2026

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Walter Witten Wise and I were good friends at SPHS. We were both tall and had fun playing on the C, JV, and B basketball teams. Walt was in our group of (poker) card game players during high school and was probably the best player. He spoke often of wanting to live to age 100 with his friends. He didn't smoke cigarettes yet he developed a tumor on his lung and it killed him. RIP Walt, I miss you.

Steve Snyder '69