Lawrence University is mourning the loss of George W. Mead II, a longtime paper industry leader, conservationist, and Lawrence trustee. He died July 29 at age 94.

Head shot of George W. Mead II
George W. Mead II

Mead was well known for his longtime leadership of the Wisconsin Rapids-based Consolidated Papers and his influences throughout the paper industry. As a leader of the Mead Witter Foundation, he left a legacy well beyond the corporate world.

He served as a trustee at Lawrence from 1966 to 1995. In 1996, he was elected emeritus trustee. He also served in leadership roles with the former Institute of Paper Chemistry.

Mead was chair and CEO of Consolidated Papers from 1971 to 1993. He continued to serve as chair until 2000, when the company was purchased by Stora Enso Oyj, a paper company headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. Mead then served on the Stora Enso Board of Directors until 2004.

He is being celebrated for lifelong efforts to promote best forestry practices, protect woodlands and river ecosystems, support education and public libraries, and nurture the arts across central Wisconsin and beyond.