Wilner, Mort

Morton H. Wilner

Wilner was born in Baltimore, but spent most of his life in the Washington, D.C. area. He was an outstanding athlete and student at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1920s. A baseball and football player, he achieved even greater success in the classroom, named to the Dean's List for eight semesters. In 1930, Wilner received the Spoon Award, the highest honor among senior men at Penn. After graduating, Mort worked his way through law school, graduating from Georgetown in 1934.

At the start of World War II, Wilner enlisted in the Army Air Corps, attained the rank of Major and was awarded the Legion of Merit. A founder of the law firm, Wilner and Schneier, Mort specialized in communication and aerospace law. He was active in both the D.C. community and as a Penn alumnus. He served as a Trustee at Penn, received the Friar of the Year Award in 1976, and was honored with the Penn Alumni Award of Merit (the school's highest tribute).

Birth and Death Dates:
b. May 28, 1908 - d. May 20, 2000

Career Highlights:
A fantastic all-around athlete, Wilner was a star quarterback at Pennsylvania in the late 1920s and was named All-America in 1929. Mort was also an excellent baseball player who captained the Penn baseball team to back-to-back Ivy League titles in 1929 and 1930. Over that span, the Quakers had an amazing 41 victories and Mort, who played second base, was named All-Ivy League. He is in the Penn Baseball Hall of Fame and the Washington (DC) Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Origin:
Baltimore, Maryland

Career Dates:
Wilner played quarterback at Penn from 1927-1929.

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