Short Biography of Charles S. Wilson

Charles Sawyer Wilson was born in Yakima, Washington. He received B.S. (1933) and M.S. (1935) degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1934, Wilson married Mildred Stratton in San Anselmo, California. The couple had one daughter, Linda. Wilson remained at U.C. Berkeley studying for a Ph.D. until 1938, when he accepted a job with the Division of Insects Affecting Man and Animals, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). During his employment with the USDA, he worked as Junior Entomologist (1938), Assistant Entomologist (1939), and Associate Entomologist (1942). He then worked at the USDA’s Beltsville Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, until he joined the Naval Reserve as a Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in 1943. Wilson worked at the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland; and with Naval Medical Research Unit #2 (June 1944-February 1945) in the Solomon Islands and on Guadalcanal. After being released from active duty in 1945, he returned to work for the USDA (1946) and became involved in the Alaska Insect Control Project, which brought him to Anchorage, Alaska. In 1948, he accepted a job as Entomologist for Headquarters, U.S. Army, Alaska, Office of the Army Engineer. In 1949, he became an Entomologist/Sanitarian for the U.S. Public Health Service. In 1955, he began working for the Post Engineers at Fort Richardson as the Insect Control Supervisor, a position he held until his retirement in 1970. In the course of his career, Wilson was active in researching the effectiveness of various types of sprayers, nozzles, and insecticides for use against mosquitoes, and made a number of innovations, some of which he attempted to patent. He was also involved in the American Association for the Advancement of Science-Alaska Division, the annual Alaskan Science Conferences, and the Chugach Electric Association. Charles Wilson died on May 19, 1985.

Source: "Archives and Special Collections at the UAA/APU Consortium Library" ⁹⁹⁴⁰