The Handsomest Guy At Cooks And Bakers School

Robert C. Wysong, Baking Bread In Gakona, Alaska. 

The Baker's Wife

Fresh Bread, Military Police, Pies & Pizza

--By Rita Wysong
Instead of being sent to Japan with the army of occupation in l946 after the war, Bob was sent from Calif. to Panama for training in (of all things), Cooks and Bakers School. Besides his duties as a military policeman (and I thought he was the handsomest guy alive in that uniform), he learned how to bake, and excelled in pies, especially. Mary well remembers living on Milton St. in her teens and smelling fresh baked bread coming out of the oven at night and she and her brothers coming down to tear off hot chunks of it dosed with butter.

His pies are legendary, especially pumpkin.  When Suzy and I were finished with our pumpkins at Halloween I would take the jack-o-lanterns, cut them up, cook and mash them and Bob would turn out a big batch that would sometimes cover the table.  Linda loved Dad's visits to Alaska.  More fresh bread and loads of pies were some of his "jobs" and I think he loved all those words of praise about his baking skills.

And at Christmas - Bob would be out in the kitchen before we went to sing at midnight mass  turning out luscious pizzas.  Best ever!

Presto! A Silver-Blue Muskrat Coat For Milady!

Family, Generosity, And Caring

--By Rita Wysong
When Dad welcomed my Dad into our home in Calif. in l955, I considered it a very generous act.  Mother had been dead 2 years and Larry and Bill were joining the military. Pat had just gotten married and Daddy would be alone.

The early 1980's...

Bob was always well liked by my family and his.  I don't think he has ever had an enemy in the world. He is an all around nice guy. Through the years, Bob gave me many gifts and if I even expressed a liking for something, he went ahead and bought it for me.  For instance, a $25 hat in Balboa after we had taken a weekend trip through the Panama Canal from the Canal Zone to Balboa.  The hat would be about $200 today. Another time, I admired a silver blue muskrat coat in a store window in Washington , D.C. and presto, he bought it for me.  He was generous to a fault.

Bob has given me many beautiful pieces of jewelry - silver in Mexico, tourmaline, aquamarine and alexandrite pieces of of jewelry in Sao Paulo, and anything else along the way that my heart desired. And of course, my l carat diamond ring.

But the most  loving gift of all was a bowl of jello, surrounded by ice cubes that he brought me to the hospital when I had contracted a urinary infection in Panama. In those days, sulfa was used for infections but caused nausea. I said how I would like some jello since I had little appetite.  He rose to the occasion as always and brought me some.

Mary's wedding

He always has had an open wallet at Christmas and holidays and of course birthdays. The kids remember the l4 red roses in Beirut he brought me for our l4th anniversary.

Of course, when our daughters were married, he wanted the best we could afford in the way of receptions.  I remember Mary's wedding in particular when we were walking down the aisle - I, in a green satin long gown, and he in his white tuxedo.  I have never before or since seen him look so handsome.  He was 55 years old.

And, By The Way, Does Anyone Know How To Say "Full Speed Ahead" In Swedish?

Intellect, Languages, Poetry...

--By Rita Wysong
Bob has always been a brain.  From the time he was in school until he entered the Foreign Service,  he had a knack for knowledge on just about every subject you could name.  He never finished college in Indiana (was inducted into the Army).  But he dabbled in Turkish and Chinese and learned Swedish in the Army in Minnesota.  When he was discharged from the Army to take his job with the State Dept. he easily passed the oral and written exams.  Practically unheard of since he had not gotten his degree.  But when we were assigned back here in the States for 4 years, he would drive over to the U. of Md. every evening and finally got his bachelor's degree.  When he left the State Dept. after 20 years service, he received his master's degree at Georgetown University.  This helped when he took over as Records Manager with the county later on.

Wedding Photo, Bob & Rita Wysong

Besides being fluent in Swedish, he easily learned Spanish and Portuguese during our tours in Mexico and Brazil.  He was chosen for a special course in Arabic beginning in Beirut and off we went in a rush from Calif. so he could begin the class.  Arabic is considered a difficult language but he had a knack for it and it was also helpful when we were assigned to Khartoum.

He always has loved to collect books.  Once he went on a trip through the States driving his pickup truck.  While he was gone I took all our books and catalogued them - title, and subject and made a list, as I put them in order back on the bookshelves.  There were l,000 books.  When we moved from Milton St. to Frenchton Place, I had all of his books put in boxes and brought to our new house.

Bob has also liked to write and often filled notebooks with observations on life etc.  He wrote beautiful poetry and as the grandchildren came along, he would wrote individual poems about them.

I would send his poems to organizations that wanted poems and once he won 2nd place in a poetry contest with his poem, "Daddy's Little Girls" about Linda, Suzy and Mary.

When Linda and Jeremy began their publishing business - first a newspaper and then visitor guides, Bob was there to help.  It was a win-win situation.  He would fly up to Alaska, stay for as long as he was needed, and produce original maps of Alaska.  They were beautiful and Linda sometimes even uses them today in their guides.

Recently I came across 39 of Bob's poems and sonnets.  I put them in a big looseleaf notebook and Suzy is keeping them for posterity.

The grandchildren seem to have developed talents in the literary field as well.  Teaching, writing, getting their degrees.  They are all achievement-oriented.

From The Marion, Indiana, Class of 1941 "Cactus Yearbook" At Marion High School

Robert Clayton Wysong

The Bos'n's Bride Had a Large Cast;
This is a Utah High School & Its Rendering Of The Operetta...

Can we find Grandpa on this page without having
 to buy a subscription to this Yearbook company?

"Bob"  

History Club President

Science Club

Spanish Club

Pan American Forum

Glee Club

Madrigal Singers

Marion High Revue

"The Bos'n's Bride"

Class of 41. Marion High.

Grandpa Bob's "Ode On Intimations of Mortality"

Golf, Bridge, Gin Rummy, Poker -- And A Wild & Wooly Trip North

Golf, Bowling & Playing Cards...

--By Rita Wysong
Bob was a good golfer, when young.  While in Jidda, I sent for new golf clubs for him and he loved golfing with the Ambassador and his co-workers after work. He has always been a good bowler and tolerant of me, who was not good at the sport. But his biggest love has been fishing.

He also has liked to play cards. We had no TV in foreign posts so played cards.  We joined bridge clubs - tricky since we were new at the game.  We played gin rummy and poker and whiled away the hours on the Dutch ship, the Raki, on our way to Jidda. Our new friends from Australia, commented about our playing poker for high stakes. Back in the States, we taught our boys to play bridge and Bob often played with me at the senior center. We have enjoyed sightseeing with the kids, going on outings, taking in shows at several theaters in the area, and spending quality time with them.

And who can ever forget the trip he and I, Suzy, Bobby and John took to Alaska, pulling a camper and traveling l0,000 miles?  The memory of Bobby standing there with a shredded camper tire and saying "I hate to tell you this but ....." will always remain with me.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip but I would never do it again.

From Guys and Dolls To Gregorian Chants -- Music Has Been A Part Of Life

The Hills Are Alive

--By Rita Wysong
Whether singing in the choir, or playing in musicals (he acted as Virgil, the guitar-strumming cowboy ) in "Bus Stop" in Beirut and also played Liver Lips, in "Guys and Dolls" here in Md., he loved singing in that beautiful tenor voice of his. He held down the tenor section for l9 years at St. Catherine's in Md., sang in the choir in Sao Paulo, and the Schola Cantorum, a musical group in Beirut. From the time he sang in the Glee Club in school, to his final concert at our church, he has loved singing. He also played the Hawaiian guitar and taught all 5 of our kids to play it.

He would serenade our children and Bobby was so inspired that later in life he has taken up the job of being a guitar teacher with many students.  Bobby was so talented that for his graduation majoring in music, and gaining honors, he played a concert WITHOUT sheet music.  He has been playing guitar at St. Martins each Sunday for about l7 years and has a small group of singers.    Also he and his flutist, Noreen, who makes up their duo, performs for weddings and for special events. He is his Dad's son in every way but especially in his love of music and guitar.

Besides the guitar, Linda played trumpet, Suzy, the recorder, Mary the piano, Bobby, guitar, and John, played trumpet.  Matt and Luke are very musical, especially at the piano and Luke still performs with a jazz group in Juneau, Alaska where he makes his home.  Caroline played a miniature violin when she was a toddler and John Herron has become quite the guitarist. I am sure all of them were influenced by Bob.

Tuna, Albacore, Trout, Sunfish, Nile Perch, Channel Cat, Guppy... A Fish By Any Other Name Is Still Worth Catching

Let's Go Fishing

--By Rita Wysong
In his teens, Bob made it to Eagle Scout, an honor achieved by few boy scouts. He has always loved nature and could name dozens of trees, flowers, etc. He learned how to swim and taught his sons and grandsons. He also taught them how to fish and never tired of telling the kids, "Let's go fishing" after cramming bread dough in their pockets for bait. Bobby could hardly tear himself away and would fish for hours.

Birthday Fishing Trip

In Jidda, Bob put his new rod and reel to good use, catching very large fish from the Embassy launch in the Red Sea. Albacore, a twin of tuna, was his favorite catch. One albacore was the size of Linda, age 7.  He would clean the fish, put some in our freezer and give some to friends. I prepared the fish in many different ways including albacore salad (just like tuna). Delicious!

Click on picture to read Grandpa Bob's version of the story...

During a trip to Alaska, I brought in a 34 lb. king salmon, the thrill of my life. Your Dad was not impressed and was not a good sport about the whole thing.  He was very disappointed that time that he didn't get a "big one."  But he and Jeremy had especially good luck on a trip to an island by plane, catching dozens of trout.

In Khartoum, Bob and the boys liked to fish for Nile perch. They loved the perch prepared by our houseboy, Michael.   Many years later, when we took Bobby on a trip to the Chesapeake for the weekend for his birthday, Bob and I both brought in 50 lb. black drums. It was like hauling in a huge 50 lb. person -dead weight and little fight. Bob smoked the fish and it and the salmon were given to friends for Christmas as gifts, with cheese and bagels. A real delicacy.

When we bought a cabin in the country, Bob often took his boys and grandsons fishing at the Potomac, a stone's throw away from the cabin.  One year, John won a prize, bringing in the largest fish that summer.

A Love Of Art

Art

--By Rita Wysong

One of Grandpa's few paintings.

Bob has always loved art and its beauty.  When we lived in Panama in l946, he bought oil paints and a color wheel.  He took a photo of boats nearby and painted a picture of them.  He also wanted me to pose for him, and did a nice portrait.  In Jidda in l954, he took up painting again and did portraits of me and Linda and my Dad, a very good likeness from a newspaper photo. His portrait of an Arab was also good.

A block print by Grandpa Bob

Suzy, a noted artist and art teacher says she got her love of art from me. I dabbled, but I think your Dad is the real artist, inspiring Bobby and John to paint and sculpt in classes at school.

Grandpa's Poetry

These Are Some Poems That Our Dad & Grandfather Wrote For His Family

(Click on the individual poem to read in larger type)

The Tree House

A Love Of God, Family & Country

Passing It Forward...

--By Rita Wysong
Bob comes from a family that lived in Germany and I believe France since a Wysong crest was found in a church in France.  Suzy painted a crest, made many framed copies and I sold them at Wysong reunions. Once we took Bobby and Trish  to a family reunion in Pa. and another time , we took John and Pris and J.P. to Las Vegas. We also attended a Tomlinson reunion in La. (Bob's mother's family). I attended 2 of his class reunions in Ind. and he attended my final class reunion in Mitchell, S.D. (the fourth one ).

45 Years... But Who's Counting?

Family has always been very important to Bob and he has taken his role as husband, father, and grandfather very seriously .  As much as he doted on his 3 girls, he was overjoyed when I produced two sons and hopefully one of the grandsons might carry on the Wysong name.

As I read this, it sounds like I am talking about Saint Robert.  Not so.  Bob has many good qualities, true, but like any human being, including me, he had his faults here and there. I think because he and I are not perfect (who is?) we never expected our kids or grandkids to be perfect either.  As long as they did their best, that was fine with us.  Also, our marriage ran into snags now and then but as I said in our last published piece in the newspaper about our being married for 70 years.  To have a happy marriage, "Never go to bed mad."  Bob's comment on having a happy marriage of 70 years, "Just don't die."

Bob always has had:

A love of God

A love of family

A  love of country

When one has this in one's life, one is wealthy indeed. In retrospect, I could have searched the world over and never found a man I could love as much as your Dad. Thank you, dear heart, for always being there when we needed you.

Love from your wife and sweetheart...

Rita Wysong

Delighted With Dahlia

Dad Has Not Been Cheated...

--By Rita Wysong
Bob has never complained.   When he was ill, he suffered in silence.  He had 3 serious illnesses years after he had retired from the State Dept. When he had pancreatitis, we almost lost him.  Also at one point he had a ruptured appendix.  When he developed prostate cancer, he would drive to the doctor's office every day for treatments for 6 months and finally

Dahlia, from her dad, Patrick's, Facebook page

was well. But diabetes was another illness - very insidious.  For years, he has been on insulin and had his blood sugar readings done during the day.  At present, he is at Wilson Health Care Center and has been a patient there for a year.   At this point in his illness, we pray for his comfort, and when he recognizes us, we are overjoyed.  As Mary says, "Dad was not cheated - he has had a long and happy life."  He has lived decades longer than most of our friends and relatives.  His big joy in life is seeing our little great granddaughter, Dahlia. He is constantly told how much we all love him and probably has more affection showered on him than anyone at Wilson Health Care.

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Robert C. Wysong, at a Montgomery County historic cabin.