Willis “Lee” Stetson, Jr., GED’71, Penn’s former dean of admissions, died on July 31. He was 82.

Born in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Mr. Stetson graduated from the University of Delaware in 1963. Following his graduation, he served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, where he was responsible for communications and coordination of troop movements. After completing his military service, Mr. Stetson briefly taught at Springfield High School before returning to the University of Delaware, working in the office of admissions. While rising to the role of director of admissions at Delaware, he also earned a master’s degree in psychological services from Penn in 1971.

In 1978, Mr. Stetson joined Penn as director of admissions and was appointed dean of admissions in 1981. He held the position for over 25 years, becoming one of the longest-serving admissions deans in the Ivy League. Under his leadership, applications to Penn tripled as he implemented a strategy to diversify the University’s undergraduate applicant pool, expanding outreach to prospective students from across the United States and around the world. Mr. Stetson stepped down as dean of admissions in 2007 (Almanac September 4, 2007). Upon his retirement, then-Penn president Amy Gutmann said, “A witness to the ever-changing landscape of college admissions, Lee has been tireless in his commitment to sustain and enhance Penn’s reputation for excellence. During his tenure, Penn has grown in stature to become a truly eminent international university. Lee’s commitment to accessibility in higher education has enabled us to reach out broadly to exceptional students from a wide range of backgrounds and interests. Lee’s many notable achievements during his years at Penn are demonstrated by the growing quality and quantity of our recent admitted classes. This year, only 16.1 percent of applicants were accepted into the class of 2011, the lowest acceptance rate in Penn’s history.”

Mr. Stetson is survived by his wife, Sally; his daughter, Lindsey (Julianne); his sister, Sara Jean James; as well as cousins, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. Donations may be made in his honor to Penn Football and the USO of Philadelphia.

A celebration of his life will be held on Wednesday, October 2, at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church, located on Penn’s campus at 3916 Locust Walk.