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 Cou ...

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 (not the Lafayette Escadrille). 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 U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

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 St ...

(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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, 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, 1968. Wilson wrote the foreword to popular aviation writer

Richard Bach Richard David Bach (born June 23, 1936) is an American writer. He has written numerous works of fiction and also non-fiction flight-related titles. His works include '' Jonathan Livingston Seagull'' (1970) and '' Illusions: The Adventures of a ...

'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 most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is th ...

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

Legacy

Gill Robb Wilson Award The Gill Robb Wilson Award is Civil Air Patrol’s (CAP) highest award for Senior Member professional development. It recognizes senior members who have dedicated themselves to leadership and personal development in the CAP. The CAP first gave th ...

* the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport 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