March 2009
Harold “Ken” Wilson, L13812, who served as FMCA’s Eastern Area vice president during the early 1990s and also authored numerous articles for Family Motor Coaching magazine, passed away on December 27, 2008, in The Villages, Florida, after a long battle with cancer. He was 75.
“I’ve met many wonderful people during my tenure at FMCA, and I count Ken Wilson among those I especially enjoyed getting to know,” said Pamela Kay, director of communications, publishing. “He was a true Southern gentleman.”
Ken was born March 12, 1933, in Montgomery, Alabama, but grew up in Virginia. Following high school, he attended Virginia Tech for a short time before heading overseas to serve as a radio intercept operator in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. After his discharge from the military he returned to Virginia Tech where, on a blind date arranged by his roommate, he met a young lady named Pat Smith, who was attending James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, some 150-plus miles away. The date was a success, and they continued the long-distance relationship, finally tying the knot on August 16, 1958, shortly after Pat’s graduation. Ken graduated in 1959, and Pat was given an honorary “PHT” (Put Husband Through) degree from Virginia Tech, which was awarded to wives that worked while their husbands who had been in Korea finished college.
After spending a brief time in Danville, Virginia, Ken accepted an engineering position with IBM, and the couple moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, where they raised their four children: Kevin, Keith, Kay, and Karen.
Ken inherited his interest in motorhomes from his parents, Norman and Helen Wilson, F5012, who were avid campers and became FMCA members in 1971. Ken purchased his first motorhome in 1973 and joined the association the following year. In 1976 Ken’s parents encouraged their son and daughter-in-law to load up the family and head north to attend FMCA’s summer convention in Centreville, Michigan. That is where Ken and the rest of the family discovered all that FMCA had to offer.
The kids had a ball, helping park motorhomes and joining in the youth activities. Ken made his way to the seminars, which is typically where he could be found during subsequent conventions. “Ken loved going to the seminars and finding out how to do things,” Pat said. “He liked talking to people and learning.”
He also enjoyed working on his motorhome, although his first major project caused him some worry. “On our first coach, he found a leak around one of the front windows,” Pat recalled. “So he took it apart to fix it and found that the plywood around it was wet and rotting. He became concerned, because he didn’t think he would be able to match up the new plywood with the old, so I suggested that he use the plywood from the closet since it was the same. That pretty much got him started.”
But repairs were only part of Ken’s motorhome handiwork. He also came up with creative ideas to make the coach a more livable space for his family. These improvement projects became the basis for his do-it-yourself articles “” nearly 50 in all “” that appeared in Family Motor Coaching from 1986 through 2002. He also authored the “RV Products” column from 1987 to 1991.
Topics included elevating the coach toilet, adding a retractable ironing board, installing a ceiling fan, and mounting “goose egg” membership plates, to name just a few. “FMCA members benefitted from his skills and expertise via the many do-it-yourself articles he wrote for Family Motor Coaching magazine,” said Pamela Kay. “I remember Ken once telling me that it was time for them to buy a new motorhome because he’d run out of projects with their current coach.”
As Ken’s interest in motorhoming grew, so did his involvement in the association. He was active in an official capacity in several chapters, then was elected Eastern Area vice president, serving from 1991 to 1993, during which time he also was a member of several national committees “” Information Systems, Membership/Member Services, and Convention & Rally.
“He got into being an official reluctantly,” admitted Pat, “but once he got involved, he really enjoyed it. He liked to see how things worked “” I think that was the engineering side of him coming out “” and being an officer gave him the chance to see how FMCA worked from the inside.”
According to Pat, one of the things that made Ken so popular with fellow FMCA members was his willingness to lend a hand to anyone in need. “Ken was never too busy to help someone,” she said. “And he never knew something that he wasn’t willing to share with others. He thoroughly enjoyed helping people, and this attribute followed him throughout his life.”
Following his service as a national officer, Ken served on the President’s Council and the Management Committee. He also was appointed “” appropriately “” to FMCA’s Technical Advisory Committee, on which he served from 1995 to 2006, assisting members and the magazine with various technical issues and articles.
After Ken retired from IBM following 30 years as a systems engineer, the Wilsons led motorhome tours to Alaska; Newfoundland, Canada; and other parts of North America for several years, before finally settling down in The Villages, Florida. Although arthritis in his hip halted Ken’s motorhome activities, he became involved in the community’s woodworking club, where he created thousands of handmade toys for underprivileged children. He also was a lifetime member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.
“I feel blessed having had him for 50 years,” Pat said. “He truly was one of the good guys. I never saw him get angry at another adult. He was a gentle soul.”
Besides Pat and their four children, Ken leaves behind a brother, Dr. Stanley Wilson, and two grandsons, Kevin and Harrison.
Memorial contributions can be made in Ken’s name to the Hospice of Marion County, P.O. Box 4860, Ocala, FL 34479.
The Carolina Ramblers T.E.N.N. Rally
By Ben Bryer, F298847
March 2009
The Carolina Ramblers’ T.E.N.N. (Traveled, Enjoyed, Nice Nest) Rally, May 16 through 18, 2008, was cohosted by Richard and Jenny Goodson and Ed and Barbara Talley. A whole weekend of terrific events were planned and executed to perfection.
The site of our rally was Two Rivers Landing RV Resort in Sevierville, Tennessee, a clean and quiet first-class facility. The resort features concrete parking sites; grassy open spaces; tree-lined, lighted walkways; and a superb log house meeting building, all facing the French Broad River. Some sites are so close to the river that you could cast a fishing line while sitting in front of your motorhome. There are too many amenities to mention. This is a campground that you will want to return to many times.
The best part is that you are only 10 to 30 minutes from all that Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, have to offer. Although 6 million people visit the area every year, the RV resort makes you feel as though you are camping on this secluded river in the middle of the wilderness.
On Friday, May 16, during the day and early evening, folks settled in and got their motorhomes set up. That evening we were treated to a barbecue dinner by Tennessee RV Sales & Service that ranked as one of the finest our group has ever had. The company also provided our breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday morning and brought several display coaches to our rally, which many Carolina Ramblers test-drove that weekend.
Saturday evening we were picked up by two large buses and shuttled to a steak or fish dinner arranged by the rally cohosts. After dinner we attended a great show called the “Fiddlers Jamboree.” The entertainment was top-notch. However, there was one highlight moment that is sure to remain a lasting memory for those who witnessed it. And to top it off, it included one of our guests.
Before I continue, let me provide a little background on this guest. One of our members brought his aunt, Mrs. Steele, for the weekend. Most of us had met Mrs. Steele at an earlier rally, where we surprised her with a birthday cake to celebrate her 92nd birthday. Looking at her, one would guess her age to be between 60 and 70 years old at the most. She is so energetic and full of life.
During the show, the lead singer asked for a volunteer to come up on stage for the next song. All of the Carolina Ramblers pointed to Mrs. Steele.
The lead singer began chatting with her. “May I ask you your age?”
“Yes, I am 92 years old.”
“No way!” he exclaimed, startled.
“Yes, I am,” she insisted.
“What did you do for a living to look so good?”
“I was a ‘stripper’ for many years.”
The place erupted. After the audience stopped clapping and laughing, she went on to explain: “I stripped pictures.”
The singer fell flat on the stage. The audience erupted again.
(She actually was referring to a printmaking technique.)
I am asked all the time why we joined FMCA. Where else could you create or obtain lifelong memories such as these?