Gill Robb Wilson (September 18, 1892 – September 8, 1966) was an American pilot, Presbyterian minister, and military advocate. Wilson was a founder of the

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...

Early life

Wilson was born in

Clarion County, Pennsylvania Clarion County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,241. Its county seat is Clarion. The county was formed on March 11, 1839, from parts of Venango and Armstrong counties. Clarion Coun ...

to the Rev. Gill Irwin Wilson and Amanda E. Robb, on September 18, 1892.

World War I

Motivated by youthful idealism and a deep sense of responsibility, Gill Robb and his brother Volney traveled to France to assist the Allied war effort. After initially driving ambulances he became a member of the

Lafayette Flying Corps The Lafayette Flying Corps is a name given to the American volunteer pilots who flew in the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) during World War I. It includes the pilots who flew with the bona fide Lafayette Escadrille squadron. Numbers The ...

(not the

Lafayette Escadrille The La Fayette Escadrille (french: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...

). His service for the French was with French Escadrille Br. 117. He is also reported to have served with the 163d Aero Squadron

The ministry

A son of a Presbyterian minister, Gill Robb Wilson followed in his father's footsteps after the Great War. He attended seminary in Pittsburgh and was ordained into a forerunner of the current Presbyterian Church, (USA). During his upbringing and training for the ministry, Gill Robb acquired an accomplished skill with the spoken and written word. This training would serve him well in later years. He was installed as Pastor of the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Trenton, New Jersey. During this pastorate (in 1927), Gill Robb Wilson was named Chaplain of the American Legion. After the death of his first wife and second child, he suffered the loss of his voice. Doctors required complete silence if his voice was to have the chance of ever coming back. It was at this point that he left the leadership of the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Trenton where he had enjoyed a fruitful ministry.

Professional life

Drawing upon his extensive experience in aviation and good standing in Trenton, New Jersey, the Hon. Gill Robb Wilson became Director of Aeronautics for the State of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

in 1930. As such, he shared in oversight of the Lakehurst landing field and participated as a member of the Inquiry Board (appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce) related to the crash of the zeppelin Hindenburg. He saw a need and imagined the possibilities for aviation in America. Crucial to those possibilities was the Civil Air Patrol. He promoted and fostered that dream, becoming the first director of the

. In 1939 he became the very first member of the

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a Frederick, Maryland-based American non-profit political organization that advocates for general aviation. AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States ...

(AOPA) which is now the world's largest general aviation association with approximately 400,000 members. He also served as the editor of AOPA's first publication. He witnessed the test of the atomic bomb on Bikini Island. It is likely after effects of this event contributed to illness that later led to his death.

Writing career

Combining his love of aviation and skill with the pen, Gill Robb Wilson was an early editor of Flying Magazine. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was a correspondent for the Herald Tribune. Wilson was also the author of a book of poetry, which included some pieces on World War I aviation, and the autobiographical work, I Walked with Giants,

Vantage Press Vantage Press was a self-publishing company based in the United States. The company was founded in 1949 and ceased operations in late 2012. Vantage was the largest vanity press in the United States. By 1956, they were publishing hundreds of title ...

, 1968. Wilson wrote the foreword to popular aviation writer Richard Bach's first book, "Stranger to the ground."

Family facts

Gill Robb Wilson was married to Margaret Perrine and had a bright and creative daughter, Margaret Robb Wilson. His first wife, Margaret Perrine Wilson, succumbed to the influenza epidemic while she was pregnant with their second daughter. He married his second wife, Mary Josephine Clary, on April 28, 1931 in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Gill Robb Wilson died in

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

. He is greatly honored by the CAP California Wing each Memorial Day.

Legacy

* Gill Robb Wilson Award * the

Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport is seven miles northeast of Parkersburg, in Wood County, West Virginia. It is owned by the Wood County Airport Authority and is also known as Wood County Airport or Gill Robb Wilson Field. It serves the Mid-Ohio ...

in Parkersburg, WV, is named Gill Robb Wilson Field. *His legacy is also continued in his granddaughter, who is a minister and a Chaplain Major in the

References

External links

Civil Air Patrol

Flying Magazine

The Hindenburg Disaster
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Gill Robb 1892 births 1966 deaths American male journalists 20th-century American journalists Aviators from Pennsylvania American Presbyterian ministers 20th-century American clergy Military personnel from Pennsylvania American military personnel of World War I