A.D. and J.W. Wilson Fund

Annie Louise Dreymann Wilson’s life was evidence that hard work and dedication can lead to success in America. Born in Germany to a German father and a Belgian mother in 1913, Annie Wilson emigrated to the United States as an infant when her father, Carl Dreymann, a chemical engineer, was hired to work with a U.S. company.

The Dreymann family, like many other German families in the United States during World War I, were considered “enemy aliens.” The family lived in a share-cropper’s shack in Virginia until the war ended. They returned to Germany after the end of the first World War, but returned permanently to the U.S. as World War II began.

The Dreymanns lived in Baltimore before moving to Pittsburgh, which Annie Wilson would call home for the rest of her life. She worked in an area hospital after graduating from the Madeira School in 1932. In 1947, she married John Watt Wilson who was later named vice president of sales and then president of Alcoa International.

Annie Wilson accompanied her husband on his travels across the world. She volunteered for charities at home and abroad. After John Wilson’s death in 1979, Annie Wilson continued pursuing her interests in international affairs, volunteerism and charity, and never stopped contributing to her community. She later served as a tour guide at Fort Ligonier, among other volunteer positions. Annie Wilson died in Cranberry Township in 2009 at the age of 96.

Annie Wilson created the A.D. and J.W. Wilson Fund with The Pittsburgh Foundation to give back to the greater Pittsburgh community. Through their generosity, the Wilsons have helped to support various nonprofits in the Pittsburgh area through grants made possible by their fund.