1998 Volume 121 No 1–4 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR TWO PEOPLE TO
run your company, Gary L. Wilson,
Duke '6Z and John H. Dasbuig, University
of Miami '65, should be at the
top of your wish list Both men have
earned repeated praise for their creativity and leadership at
some of America's best-known corporations. Marriott,
Disney and now Northwest Airlines owe much of their success
to at least one, but more often both, of these men.
Don't plan on hiring these two Phis, however. V\^son and
Dasburg seem very happy where they are. Dasburg is presil
ary Wilson, a native of Alliance,
)hio, enrolled at Duke University
I in 1958 where he played fullback
on the Blue Devils team that made it to
the 1960 Cotton Bovd. He had to work
hard at Duke but knows that his efforts
paid ofif.
"The challenges of being on an athletic
scholarship and essentially working my
way through collie at an intellecbialfy
challenging institution such as Duke, and
being an active social chairman for the
Fraternity, took about all the energy I
could muster during my collie days.
"Tiiy Fraternity experience was the
'hallmark' of my stay at Duke. We had the
niunber one rated Phi Delt chapter in the
nation for several years during that period.
We had a great group of guys. I have
LEADERS OVER THE
PACIFIC
dent and chief executive officer of Northwest Airlines, while
Wilson serves as chairman of the NWA, Inc., board of directors,
which owns the airline and other subsidiaries.
Together, they have turned an airline, once seconds from
bankruptcy, into one of the most profitable and efficient airlines
in the world. Often featured in magazines like Fortune
and Business Week, John Dasburg and Gary Wilson both
cleared space in their busy schedules for interviews with
The Stroll; they share a litde about themselves, their insight
into Northwest Airlines' operations and what it takes to succeed
in the corporate world.
stayed close to many of my Phi brothers
over the years; we get together often,"
said Wilson.
After completing his studies at Duke,
he received an MBA ftom the Wharton
Graduate School of Finance and Commerce
at the University of Penns)dvania
in 1963. By the late 1960s, Wilson had
become executive vice president and a
director at Trans-PhiUppines Investment
Corp., a Manila-based industrial complex
with holdings in sugar, mining, and
heavy construction.
J. V\rdlard Marriott, Utah *25, chief executive
of the Marriott Corporation,
hired Wilson in 1974 to serve as company
treasurer. From 1975 to 1980, earnings
at Marriott tripled. Everyone in the
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THE SCROLL - FALL 1998