BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Former Campbell men's basketball standout and Hall of Fame member Dr. Peter "Pete" Allen Wish passed away at home on February 25, 2026.
 
Pete was born May 13, 1942, in Camden, N.J., to Florence Selsor Wish and Peter Adam.  Pete is survived by his sweetheart and wife of 58 years, Judith Lynam Wish, formerly of Wake Forest, as well as several in-laws and nieces.
 
A 1967 graduate with a B.S. in Biology, Pete ended his playing career ranked as one of the top scorers in Campbell basketball history.  He went on to become one of the outstanding college professors in the state.
 
An all-state performer in 1960 at Camden Catholic High School, where he set the single-game scoring record of 40 points, Wish joined Coach Fred McCall's Fighting Camels in 1962 and began a distinguished academic and athletic career.
 
During his playing career, Wish established a Campbell school record for scoring by a guard with 1,188 points in 103 games.  That record stood for three decades before it was broken.  In 1965, Wish scored 507 points, an average of 18.8 points per game, and set a personal career high with 36 points in one game vs. Belmont Abbey.
 
Wish also served as 1967 Senior Class President, was a member of the Men's Executive Council, Vice-President of the Walker Group, President of Kitchen Dormitory, and was a Dean's List student.  He went on to North Carolina State University where he took his M.S. in Science Education in 1969 and later earned his Ph.D. in 1976.  He was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society at North Carolina State in 1969.
 
Dr. Wish began a distinguished teaching career at his alma mater in 1969 and was presented the Outstanding Teaching Award by Dr. Norman A. Wiggins.
 
He then accepted a position at UNC Pembroke, where he continues to serve as Professor of Science Education.  Dr. Wish received the Indianhead Yearbook dedication award in 1981 and the UNCP Excellence in Teaching Award in 1985.
 
In 1997, he was presented with the North Carolina Science Teacher Association Distinguished Service Award.  Two years later, Dr. Wish was the recipient of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching.  He was also selected as the first faculty member to deliver the commencement address at the 1999 UNCP winter graduation exercises.  Following his retirement from UNC Pembroke, he was named Professor Emeritus.
 
He was inducted into the Campbell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.
 
He was also inducted into the Camden Catholic High School Basketball Hall of Fame, as well as the Emerald Society for Academic and Athletic Achievement for Life After High School Hall of Fame.
 
A memorial service celebrating Pete's life will be held Saturday, March 14, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Fayetteville, N.C.