Dave Wottle

Dave Wottle, dean of admissions and financial aid, has a long history at Rhodes since he began work in August of 1983. He received his B.S. degree in history from Bowling Green State University, where he was an NCAA Post Graduate Scholar.

Wottle has always loved travelling, which he did frequently while competing in track at the international level. (In fact, Wottle won a gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics in the 800-meter race.) He elaborates, “I always enjoyed the Scandinavian countries because of their cooler climate. I have traveled to quite an assortment of places: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, most of the European countries, England, Scotland, Russia, and Egypt.”

Now, “I enjoy traveling in the mountains: the Appalachians, Rockies, Canadian Rockies. It doesn’t matter; I love them all.  I also just enjoy driving in the car on family vacations; it’s a great time to have the family together.” He stills wants to visit Athens to see the Parthenon (“a lifelong desire”), to China for the Great Wall, and to New Zealand.

Those countries are a far cry from Canton, Ohio, where Wottle was born and raised. Every so often, he still returns to Ohio on admission recruiting trips. Today, Wottle covers California (Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco), Missouri (Kansas City), Texas (Dallas and Houston), and New Mexico (Albuquerque).

As for Memphis, Wottle has been a first-hand witness to the city’s changes for more than 20 years. According to Wottle, “Beale Street, Autozone Park, FedEX Forum, the Orpheum Theatre, and a nice assortment of restaurants all offer the opportunity for a great time downtown.” He especially appreciates one distinctive aspect of Memphis: the food. Wottle admits, “My favorite place may simply be any barbeque joint I’m sitting in at the time, especially the Commissary in Germantown.”

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