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Memorial
Minute for Robert A. Wilson
Robert A. Wilson, member of
Swarthmore Monthly Meeting since 1938, died peacefully on March 15, 2008, after
a short illness. He was born in
Philadelphia
, December 29, 1915, to Alfred C. Wilson and Anne Wilson, nee Ferris.
Robert was their only child, raised as a Quaker at Swarthmore Meeting,
and graduated in 1936 from
William
Penn
Charter
School
,
Philadelphia
. He joined the Civilian
Conservation Corps and attended the
University
of
Maryland
. In 1935 he was awarded the
National Amateur Rowing Championship Medal for 145-pound quadruple sculls.
Robert enlisted in the U. S. Army
as a conscientious objector and served as an Army Medic seeing combat in
New Guinea
and the
Philippines
winning the Bronze Star. He married
widowed Virginia C. Bauer, with six-year-old son, Chuck.
He was an honest, loving, romantic, and caring husband; and a wonderful
father to Chuck, giving him many good things to follow in life and setting the
best examples. Later he re-joined the Army and served in the Korean War and
Vietnam
. He was one of only 36 people chosen to begin the Army’s first polygraph
program; this program was a good fit with his values of honesty. He also
believed things should be done right for the best security of the country.
In 1953 he and his family moved to
Tennessee
. After he was honorably discharged in 1970, he worked at Guardsmark, Inc,
Memphis
,
Tennessee
, as a polygraph examiner. He
retired from Guardsmark in 1986. In 1998 he and Virginia moved to
Madison
,
Wisconsin
, where they richly enjoyed the most modest pleasures of life. He is survived by
his wife of 55 years, Virginia C. Wilson, his step-son, Chuck Bauer; and other
close friends.
Written
April 13, 2009, by Swarthmore Monthly Meeting
Care and Counsel Committee
in consultation with Virginia C. Wilson
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