William H. Wymer

Abstract

William Hinkson Wymer was born in Chicago, Illinois, on 26 March 1920 at St. Luke's Hospital, the son of Lula Hinkson Wymer and William W. Wymer of Koscuisco County, Indiana, and Chicago. He had antecedents in the Revolutionary War; Weimer and Shoemaker from Germany, and Burkett from Basel, Switzerland. Bill attended John W. Cook Elementary School, Calumet Senior High School, and Morgan Park Junior College in Chicago. He got his bachelor's degree in entomology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and did graduate work at the University of Minnesota. In his youth, Bill was drawn to boats through the Sea Scouts at Jackson Park on Lake Michigan. He migrated to the Columbia Yacht Club at Grant Park Harbor and crewed during several summers on a 55-foot yawl, Beverly . Later he moved up to the 46-foot cutter Kid Sister , which participated in all the yacht races out of Chicago on Lake Michigan. He participated in three Chicago-to-Mackinac Island Yacht Races, the longest freshwater sailing race in the world. During World War II and its aftermath, from 1943 to 1948, Bill signed on as a ship's officer in the U.S. Army Transport Service (ATS), based at Quarry Heights, Canal Zone. He served as third officer to first officer (third mate to chief mate) and sailed from New Orleans and Puerto …