William Winlock – Major, United States Army (Chaplain)

From a contemporary news report

William Winlock, a reverend at St. John’s By The Campus Episcopal Church and chaplain for Iowa State’s Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines ROTC programs, died November 15, 1995 from leukemia at the age of 71.

He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Winlock came to Ames in the late 1930s and graduated high school from Ames. His father was chairman of the ISU military science department. Winlock earned a bachelors degree from ISU in 1950 and a masters degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1970.

Winlock served 20 years of active duty with the army. He received a silver star and a purple heart while serving in the Korean War.

Stanley Carpenter, professor of military science, said he will remember Winlock first as a soldier and secondly as someone who was more concerned with others than himself.

“He had a long time love affair with the military services,” Carpenter said. “He was always really quick to remember people’s birthdays and anniversaries with cards and flowers.”

Carpenter said Winlock was a regular fixture in his office.

“He was a very prolific reader and would bring in articles about the military that he didn’t think we had seen,” Carpenter said.

Kenneth Achey, a retired army officer and a friend of Winlock, said Winlock was a mentor.

“He welcomed a lot of people, particularly veterans, and made them feel at home,” Achey said.

Winlock also served for 20 years as a reverend for St. John’s By The Campus Episcopal Church before retiring last August.

Al Aiton, rector of parish for the church, said Winlock would want to be remembered as someone who was concerned about people and not material things.

“A lot of people in the community knew him,” Aiton said. “I think that’s how most people will remember him.”

For the past several years, Aiton said Winlock worked as a minister to the Story County Jail. He held Sunday night services and helped people find homes and visited prisoners.

Winlock had served on the Iowa Inter Church Forum and as chairman of the Diocesan Armed Services Commission. He was associated with the Beta Phi Mu Fraternity.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard