In Memory of Bill Wittliff

Wittliff received Reddick Award for excellence in communication

The Moody College of Communication mourns the loss of Bill Wittliff, an acclaimed writer, photographer, publisher and film producer. The 1963 journalism graduate passed away on June 9, 2019.

Wittliff received the 2000 DeWitt Carter Reddick Award from Moody College. The award recognizes excellence in the field of communication, and Wittliff’s contributions touched every genre.

He was an award-winning screenwriter of The Perfect Storm and Barbarosa, and he also wrote and produced the miniseries The Lonesome Dove, based on the iconic Larry McMurtry novel.

McMurtry is one of the many authors whose original manuscripts are housed in the Southwestern Writers Collection, which Wittliff founded in 1985 at Texas State University in San Marcos. He also opened the Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern and Mexican Photography.

Wittliff served as president of the Texas Institute of Letters from 1974-78 and was on its executive council until 1990. In 1993, he was elected Fellow of the Institute. He was also a member of the Texas Philosophical Society, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the executive board of trustees for Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute.

Natalie England
Marketing Communications