Wednesday, February 10, 2021
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Everyone involved with the National Youth Science Foundation and the National Youth Science Camp mourn the passing of Rod Wilson. Rod devoted much of his life to the National Youth Science Camp. He was hired as the camp’s photographer for the initial camp in 1963 when it was begun as a part of West Virginia’s Centennial Celebration. He continued as the camp photographer for several succeeding years, during which he was also a counselor, then the assistant director, and then as Executive Director of the National Youth Science Camp from 1976 to 1985. Rod was well known to hundreds of science camp participants, staff members, and science lecturers throughout those years. He also managed planning and administering the camp’s diverse program by working closely with educators throughout the US, university faculty members, scientists, and agency administrators in Washington, DC. People considered him to be a capable administrator devoted to his work with the camp.
In the only year that the Science Camp was not funded or operated, Rod worked with alumni and some of the Camp’s most devoted supporters to establish the National Youth Science Foundation as a mechanism to continue funding for future years. He was instrumental in helping assure the perpetuation of the National Youth Science Camp and other programs offered by the foundation to promote high quality education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. He will be remembered fondly.
All of us who knew Rod Wilson offer our condolences to his family and close associates. He will be missed.