Robert Wieland

Holland, MI — Robert E. Wieland, 88, a U.S. Army Air Force officer in Europe and North Africa during World War II, later serving as president of National Airlines, succumbed June 2 at Hospice House of Holland after a lengthy illness.

Wieland was born July 25, 1919, in Chicago, IL, to Earl and Margaret (Baker) Wieland, and grew up in Chicago and Pullman, MI.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (1941) from the University of Florida and was a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity.

He enlisted in the USAAF the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and was trained as a pilot and aerial gunner.

He was sent overseas in 1942 as a U.S. adviser to the Royal Air Force and later served with the 78th Fighter Group, 82nd Fighter Squadron, based at Duxford, England, where he was in charge of flight control. During this time, he pioneered what became known as the "Duxford Scramble" in which fighters took off en masse. He met both the King and Queen and his unit received a Presidential Citation.

He also was decorated for his innovations in air-sea rescue in both the North Sea and the Mediterranean. He served in North Africa, Italy, and was caught briefly behind enemy lines in Belgium while overseeing the construction of forward airfields during the Battle of the Bulge. He also was attached to SHAEF Headquarters near London and ended the war as a major.

In 1998, he and actor Charlton Heston were among the U.S. delegation on hand for Her Majesty's dedication of the American Air Museum at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford:

Wieland began his transportation career at National Airlines by washing Stinson Trimotors and Lockheed Lodestars while he was in college. After the war, he rejoined National and served as regional vice president in Havana until transferring in 1952 to New York and later helped implement nonstop DC-6 flights between the two cities.

In 1956, he became vice president at company headquarters in Miami and then became regional vice president in New York in 1959. During this time, he designed and implemented the first computerized airline reservations system and oversaw the company's route expansion from coast to coast and to Europe as National became the first all-jet airline in the U.S. In 1961, he was named head of NAL, becoming the youngest president of a major U.S. airline.

After National was sold in 1962, he worked as a marketing executive for Schine Hotels in Miami, senior vice president of Campbell 66 Express trucking company in Springfield, Mo., and vice president of Branch Motor Express in New York City. In 1969, he became a director of labor relations for the state of New York. He retired to Holland in 1971

He was a director of the American Club in Cuba, served with J.C. Penney on the New York Rotary Club Welcoming Committee, was a director of the New York Wings Club, chairman of the Scarsdale, NY, Improvement Committee, and member of the Union League Club in New York. He was a vestryman of All-Saints Episcopal Church in Saugatuck did volunteer work with individuals addicted to drug and alcohol as well as with the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). Last July 4, he was in the lead car of the Independence Day Parade in Saugatuck.

A resident of Freedom Village, Wieland is survived by his son Robert (Kristina Van Cleave) G. Wieland of Plano, TX; and four grandchildren, Elizabeth K. Wieland of Plano, TX; Wendy C. Wieland of San Diego, CA; Anne V. (1st Lt. Andrew, USAF) Embry of Columbus, MS; and Robert S. Wieland of Lubbock, TX.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Mara (Kipling), in 1997.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 7, 2008, 11 a.m., at All Saints Episcopal Church in Saugatuck, with Fr. G. Corwin Stoppel officiating.

A private burial will be held in Pullman Cemetery.

Arrangements are by Dykstra Life Story Funeral Homes, Inc.

An on-line registry is available at www.lifestorynet.com.