Nelson Wikstrom, longtime professor of political science, dies at 85

By Sian Wilkerson

Nelson Wikstrom, the political science educator, researcher, author and public speaker whose Virginia Commonwealth University career spanned four decades, died Aug. 20 at age 85.

Wikstrom, Ph.D., began his teaching career in 1968 at what is now the University of Wisconsin-Superior. In the early 1970s, he joined VCU, eventually serving as chair of the political science department, part of the College of Humanities and Sciences, and becoming professor emeritus upon retirement.

"Nelson Wikstrom represented the best of VCU: he was an engaging teacher, a first-rate scholar and several local governments, especially Henrico County, sought his counsel and advice," said Bob Holsworth, Ph.D., former dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences and Wikstrom's colleague. "[He was a] warm and generous individual [and] I still run into former students whose lives were impacted by his American politics and local government courses."

Wikstrom impressed colleagues and students alike with a knowledge that fellow political science professor William Newmann, Ph.D., called "encyclopedic." Department colleague Judyth Twigg, Ph.D., called Wikstrom "a consummate scholar. I've never known anyone else with his command of the broad discipline of political science."

She recalled students repeatedly remarking with astonishment how Wikstrom, off the top of his head, could quote any number of seminal works in American politics literature, connecting them to his lessons and helping his classes walk away with "a deep appreciation for the breadth and depth of the study of politics."

Wikstrom earned his master's degree and doctorate from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor's degree from Northeastern University. In addition to vertical and horizontal intergovernmental relations, he studied the government and politics of metropolitan areas.

He authored five books, including two influential collaborations with University of Missouri-Kansas City professor G. Ross Stephens: "Metropolitan Government and Governance: Theoretical Perspectives, Empirical Analysis, and the Future" and "American Intergovernmental Relations: A Fragmented Federal Polity."

The latter became the "standard textbook" on intergovernmental relations, Newmann said, leading students around the country to read it and refer to it as their "Wikstrom."

Though his first love was research, Wikstrom accepted the position of department chair because of his desire to help his peers, Twigg recalled. Newmann, who came to VCU in 1992, added that even in those early years, Wikstrom always made a point to check in and see how his colleague was doing.

"The first thing I think of was his warmth and generosity," Newmann said. "He was everyone's father or grandfather. He always had time for other faculty … and of course students. He was always there whenever you needed him, and he always greeted you with a smile and encouragement" - qualities that endeared him to students at VCU and beyond.

After several years as department chair, the call of research prevailed when Wikstrom was asked by Oxford University Press to update his work on intergovernmental relations.

"He resigned as chair the very next day," Twigg said. "He'd done his time so effectively in service to his peers and to the university, but he was always itching to get back to his scholarship."

Holsworth noted Wikstrom's three daughters, whose fond memories include their dad's inclusion of them as junior "research assistants" on his many projects.

Wikstrom also loved to travel. During a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, as part of a then-active partnership with St. Petersburg State University, he joined Twigg and a delegation of faculty and students.

From sharing conversations about local governance with Russian colleagues to hunting for souvenirs and trying out the Big Mac at the local McDonald's, Wikstrom "savored every element," Twigg said - much as he did in every realm of life.