Gordon Duncan Wimpress (1922-2014) was the 15th president of Trinity University. He was born on April 10, 1922 in Riverside, California. He received a M.A. degree in journalism and political science from the University of Oregon and a PhD in political science from the University of Colorado in Denver. Wimpress was a veteran of World War II with a Bronze Star for Valor and five major battle stars. He was a soldier in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day and in the Battle of the Bulge. Wimpress was also a licensed commercial pilot. He served as president of two colleges in Illinois; Monticello College for five years and Monmouth College for six years, before Trinity University from 1970 to 1976.
During Wimpress' tenure at Trinity he attempted to direct the university into a new era with administrative and academic restructuring. From the start he tried to be more transparent with budgetary and finances and redesigned the faculty senate to be a university senate; to include administrators and students. Major academic reorganizing came when Wimpress hired J. Norman Parmer for Vice President of Academic Affairs and he instituted six academic institutions with a dean structure.
Wimpress was most known for switching Trinity’s athletics from Division I to Division III (with the exception of tennis) due to his attempt to balance the operating budget. Athletics took up seven percent of the university operating budget and athletes received 30 percent of all scholarship funds, regardless of need. He recommended Trinity leave the Southland Conference, and that the football team play on campus rather than at Alamo Stadium. Wimpress led the creation of the Southwest's first non scholarship and co-educational athletic conference, the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA). Although he had board support for this decision it caused immediate criticism of his leadership and university vision.
Buildings completed while Wimpress was president were the Laurie Auditorium, the Richardson Communication Center, Stevens Stadium, and the Coates University Center. Noted in a memorial in the San Antonio Express News his daughter mentions he was most proud of advocating for a new library.
Despite his ability to balance the budget and streamline operations, his leadership style and long range planning process was called into question by some board members, specifically those on the executive committee, and an external review was conducted. The report was in favor of the board taking a more hands-on approach to management of the university and questioned Wimpress’ effectiveness. Wimpress worked to address charges in a short amount of time, but ultimately tenured his resignation in December of 1976.
Following Trinity he accepted the position of vice chairman of the board of governors of the Southwest Foundation for Research and Education, which became the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. He was promoted to president in 1982 and retired in 1992.