I had little idea that he was from a small town in Kansas when I first met him. I just knew he had his Ph.D. in entomology and was a tenured professor at Kansas State University. He was just returning from an extended stay in Mexico where he taught short courses on protecting stored grain from a specific moth that tended to infest it. The short course was sponsored by Aid to International Development. That is all I knew.
As it turns out I had no idea that Bob was so much more than is vitae could reveal. A member of what has been called the “Greatest Generation,” Bob grew up in what is now a wide gap in the highway, a small town that has long grown past its glory when it was a vibrant, small farming community in east central Kansas. Greeley Kansas is not remembered for much but from those humble beginnings, Robert B. Mills emerged and would become, in my opinion, the greatest man I have ever met.
Bob’s meager beginnings gave little indication of the way he would make a difference with his life. As a young man he worked with his father and brother on a rented farm where each year they produced barely enough to feed their family. After his brother Rex’s untimely death, due to appendicitis, Bob’s mother was institutionalized following what was called “nervous exhaustion.” Bob’s older sister provided him with the love and support a young boy needs during adolescence, something for which he expressed gratitude for the rest of his life.
Someone once said that “time is an illusion, timing is an art.” I am not sure any of us are in such command of the time in which we come of age but clearly Bob’s timing was exquisite. Deciding that driving a truck for a local grain storage facility wouldn’t lead to much, especially if he wanted to convince his teenage love Mary that marrying him wouldn’t lead to disaster! Instead, since during those months, WWII was closing in on America, he went with a friend to the recruiting station and joined the Navy. His timing was perfect.
It wasn’t long until his superiors noticed Bob’s deep intellect and leadership skills. Through a series of events, Bob was sent with his new bride Mary, to Pensacola Florida as a pilot-in-training at the Naval Aviator School. Bob admitted to me later that it was one of the most difficult things he had ever done. His flight instructor was not a patient man and he spoke to Bob in aggressive and profane ways. He once said to me “I would have quit the training if it hadn’t been for Mary.” As her encouragement boosted the young officer, Bob graduated and was awarded his wings. He was now a Navy Pilot just as the war in the Pacific was igniting.
There is much to add to his story but for the sake of brevity let it suffice to say that Bob used the GI Bill after the Navy to go to college. He did that several times. First he went to KSU to get his bachelor’s degree that led to a brief career as a biology teacher in high school. He returned to school and was awarded a Master’s Degree from the University of Colorado, and finally he studied, did research and wrote his dissertation at KSU and received his Ph.D. in entomology. Following his academic pursuits he became a tenured professor at K State and served in the Entomology department for nearly thirty years.
Today I saw where Bob’s life changed. I walked on the same ground that he had traversed eighty years ago. I saw planes land and take off, in much the same way they had when Bob was training. I saw airplanes that had not only been flown in WWll but also in all the other wars that the US has fought in during both the 20th and 21st century. It was all interesting but looking through the museum I was struck with something more important.
It could be argued that the “Greatest Generation” knew sacrifice, suffering, honor and duty more than the subsequent generations that followed. I hesitate to make such sweeping generalizations. But I do know one man that embodied those qualities. It is easy to make heroes out of those who are no longer among us, overlooking their challenges and mistakes. Bob was not a perfect man but he was great. The greatest man I have ever known. Today I saw where the dreams began. Those dreams led to his research that arguably saved hundreds of thousands of lives in third world countries susceptible to famine and pestilence. That is enough to include him among the giants that have walked among us. But there is one indication that he left us that shows where Bob gives the credit for his formation as a husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather and now great-grandfather. It’s a simple statement that is etched on the grave marker where he was laid to rest. It says, “Robert B. Mills, Navy Pilot.” Today I saw where the dream was realized.
Until next time,
Darrel+