A Beacon for a Better World: Remembering William Neukom '64

The Neukom Institute for Computational Science and the Susan and James Wright Center for the Study of Computation and Just Communities mourn the loss of William H. ("Bill") Neukom '64, a passionate champion of the liberal arts, democratic governance around the world, and Dartmouth as a force for good. He died on July 14 in Seattle, surrounded by his family. 

"Bill was extraordinary—a rare combination of sharp intelligence and great warmth," says Dan Rockmore, William H. Neukom 1964 Distinguished Professor of Computational Science and director of the Neukom Institute for Computational Science. "We'd see the former in his laser-like attention to language (as befits the great lawyer that he was) and the latter in his extraordinary generosity. He was a firm believer that the liberal arts and education were foundational for a meaningful life and did all that he could to promote that idea in many different contexts, including the Neukom Institute, Dartmouth, and the World Justice Project."  

Microsoft's first general counsel, Neukom's storied legal career took off when he guided the company through its rise to global prominence. Among his many accomplishments, he was President of the American Bar Association, General Managing Partner of the San Francisco Giants, and Co-founder of the World Justice Project, a global initiative advancing the rule of law through research, advocacy, and action. 

Neukom's impact on the institutions and causes he championed—including Dartmouth—was both profound and enduring. At Dartmouth, he served as a trustee from 1996 to 2007 and as board chair from 2004 to 2007. During his tenure as chair, Neukom and his wife, Sally, made a transformative commitment to Dartmouth: the founding gift that established the Neukom Institute for Computational Science, fostering interdisciplinary applications of computational methods across the liberal arts. That original gift endowed the institute directorship and created the Neukom Fellows program, one of the premier postdoctoral programs in the United States.

Neukom saw computational science as an essential evolution of the liberal arts. "As I continued to learn about the remarkable academic experience Dartmouth provides for its diverse student body and faculty," he said, "I wanted to do something significant for the College. Investing some Microsoft equity in computational science seemed natural and appropriate." His gift helped position Dartmouth at the forefront of a rapidly changing intellectual landscape, and his vision continues to guide the Neukom Institute's mission today.

Nine years later, the Neukoms funded the William H. Neukom Academic Cluster in Computational Science to recruit three faculty members and expand the boundaries of knowledge in the fields of physical and life sciences, engineering, and medicine.

In 2020, the couple made their third major investment in Dartmouth, which enabled the establishment of the Wright Center for the Study of Computation and Just Communities, named in honor of their dear friends Susan DeBevoise Wright and the late James Wright, the 16th president of Dartmouth. The Wright Center continues Dartmouth's tradition of innovation in computing and artificial intelligence by creating a hub for interdisciplinary research and teaching about some of the most urgent moral and social challenges facing us in the digital age.

"Bill was a true visionary who cared deeply about global justice, thought creatively about how to foster it, and dedicated his life to bringing about more equitable and just communities," says professor Susan Brison, the Wright Center's inaugural director. "It was a rare privilege and a genuine pleasure to work with Bill, and I'm profoundly grateful for his wise counsel and his inspired leadership. His passing is a deep loss, but his legacy will live on in the students we support, the cutting-edge research we pursue, and the values we champion. We will miss his wisdom, his humor, and his unwavering faith in humanity's ability to make the world better."

Susan DeBevoise Wright recalls her husband's deep admiration for Neukom. James Wright was an adopted member of Neukom's class, the Dartmouth Class of 1964. 

"From the time Jim was a young faculty member until his death, he valued Bill's extraordinary alumni service to Dartmouth," she says. "Bill was a dreamer who helped make Dartmouth's brightest future come true. He was an exceptionally open, courteous, kind, and idealistic person who made the world better. He led by example."  

Brison recently collaborated with Neukom to plan a conference co-hosted by the Wright Center and the World Justice Project, scheduled to take place on campus next summer. Neukom served as CEO of the World Justice Project until his passing. 

"The World Justice Project was truly his passion, organized around the belief that we could bring about a better world through clear understanding of the 'rule of law', for which he had a very precise definition," Rockmore says. "Bill often quoted John Sloan Dickey's words: 'The world's troubles are our troubles,' and he lived the second part of that credo—'There is nothing wrong with the world that better human beings cannot fix'—with a humility that would never allow him to be called 'better.' I will miss his counsel, conversation, and wit. It was a privilege to work with him, to know him, and—most of all—to call him a friend."

The Neukoms' extraordinary investment in Dartmouth also led to the establishment of the Class of 1964 Policy Research Shop at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, a student-staffed, faculty-mentored research enterprise that allows students to engage directly in the public policymaking processes in Vermont and New Hampshire; and the Ruth H. and John G. Neukom Scholarship, which provides financial aid to undergraduate students.

In recognition of his service to Dartmouth and to society, Dartmouth awarded him an honorary degree in 2015.

"The Dartmouth community holds the Neukom family in our thoughts as we mourn Bill's passing," says Brison. 

The Neukom family will hold a memorial service at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Seattle on August 3 at 3 p.m. To honor Neukom's legacy, the family invites you to donate—whether your time, skills or resources—to any cause which you believe will support the betterment of our shared society.

The Dartmouth flag will be lowered today and Saturday, July 19, in memory of Bill Neukom '64, H'15, Board of Trustees, emeritus (1996-2007).

In Memoriam - Office of the President, Dartmouth