2007.03.07: March 7, 2007: Headlines: COS - Mali: Obituaries: The Californian: Obituary for Mali RPCV Clarence Wilson
Peace Corps Online:
Directory:
Mali:
Peace Corps Mali :
Peace Corps Mali: Newest Stories:
2007.03.07: March 7, 2007: Headlines: COS - Mali: Obituaries: The Californian: Obituary for Mali RPCV Clarence Wilson
Obituary for Mali RPCV Clarence Wilson
Wilson was born in Carson in 1916, where he was inspired by the exploits of Charles Lindbergh to join the Navy as a pilot. After fighting in World War II, Wilson continued working for the Navy until he was hired in the early 1960s to work on unmanned space exploration by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He helped launch a satellite in 1963 that allowed the United States to watch the 1964 Olympics from Tokyo, his wife said. When Wilson's first wife died, he joined the Peace Corps in Mali, where he taught agriculture. "He had to learn French in no time flat, because that is what they spoke," his wife said. "He joined the Peace Corps to get his life back together."
Obituary for Mali RPCV Clarence Wilson
Remembering Clarence Wilson: Oceanside man was war veteran, Peace Corps volunteer
By: DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer
OCEANSIDE -- Clarence Wilson, a longtime Oceanside resident and volunteer, led a multifaceted life that included working on the space program, a stint in Africa with the Peace Corps and fighting in World War II as a member of the U.S. Navy.
Wilson, who died Saturday from skin cancer at age 90, was remembered this week by friends and relatives as an extremely bright man who led by example.
"He was the best example of honesty and integrity that I know of," said Dennis Martinek, a good friend who succeeded Wilson on the Oceanside Planning Commission in 1987. "He was my role model because he was always well prepared, and he was always fair."
Martinek said Wilson was a confident man who always wore a smile. "When you looked at him, you could always tell that he was thinking," said Martinek, who is now Planning Commission chairman.
Wilson's second wife, Ruth Shy Wilson, said her husband had a passion for many things, including family, music, farming, public service, the environment and world peace. "He was a person who loved the planet and growing things," she said. "He always wanted his work with the space program to be focused on peace."
Wilson was born in Carson in 1916, where he was inspired by the exploits of Charles Lindbergh to join the Navy as a pilot. After fighting in World War II, Wilson continued working for the Navy until he was hired in the early 1960s to work on unmanned space exploration by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
He helped launch a satellite in 1963 that allowed the United States to watch the 1964 Olympics from Tokyo, his wife said.
When Wilson's first wife died, he joined the Peace Corps in Mali, where he taught agriculture. "He had to learn French in no time flat, because that is what they spoke," his wife said. "He joined the Peace Corps to get his life back together."
After NASA, Wilson moved to North County, where he lived for nearly 40 years. Other than a stint in Fallbrook from 1986 to 1997, Wilson lived in Oceanside.
He served on the city's Planning Commission from 1983 to 1986 and was president of the Southmoore Hills Homeowners Association. He was also associated with the county's planning commission, Mission Resource Conservation District and Oceanside's Housing Rehab Commission.
Wilson and his wife also volunteered at Tri-City Medical Center from 1999 to 2003, she said.
No matter where he lived, Wilson always made time for gardening and cultivating fruit, his wife said. He grew avocados and other fruit in Oceanside, Fallbrook and on farmland in the San Joaquin Valley, she said.
His love of nature and the outdoors also extended to his hobbies. He went fly-fishing with his father as a youngster, his wife said, and often played tennis in his later years. Other hobbies included music, particularly classical music and opera. Wilson and his wife saw multiple performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, she said.
While Wilson was quiet for the most part, his wife said he had a sharp sense of humor.
"You wouldn't hear him crack a lot of jokes," she said. "But he would make subtle remarks that it would take awhile to figure out."
In addition to his wife, Wilson is survived by two children from his first marriage, Robert Wilson of Maryland and Margaret Wilson of Springville. He is also survived by two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Wilson's ashes will be scattered at sea. The family is also planning a private memorial.
-- Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 761-4410 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: March, 2007; Peace Corps Mali; Directory of Mali RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Mali RPCVs; Obituaries
When this story was posted in April 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments. |
| He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor. |
| Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process. |
| The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace. |
| PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come. |
| History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help. |
Read the stories and leave your comments.
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
Story Source: The Californian
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Mali; Obituaries
PCOL36621
01