Kiwanis Club Offering Scholarship To DHS Students In Memory Of Ray Wilson

The Dillon Kiwanis Club is offering a scholarship to Dillon High School students in memory of Ray Wilson. The Ray Wilson Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a student pursuing a four year degree. The scholarship is $10,000 total awarded in
$2500 increments per year. Applications are available in the Dillon High School guidance office. The deadline to apply is May 6th.

Ray Wilson

Ray Lansing Wilson was born in Effingham, SC, on June 13, 1919. He was one of the eleven children of Charles Montgomery and Essie Waddell Wilson. He graduated from Tans Bay High School in Florence County and began work for Southern Bell Telephone Company as a lineman. He was assigned to work in Dillon where he worked for two years before volunteering for service in the U.S. Army. He was inducted into the Army on July 17th of 1941.
He served in the European theatre of World War II from the inception of the European phase of the war until its end in 1945. He was in the Signal Corp responsible for providing communications between front line and headquarter component. He was involved in two campaigns in North Africa before the campaign to free Sicily. Once Sicily was freed, his unit moved into Italy to free it from the Axis forces. He was honorably discharged from the service in late 1945 with a staff sergeant rank. He was authorized 6 overseas service bars for 19Aug42 to 5Sep45, the American Defense Service Ribbon, the Good Conduct Medal was presented in Florence, Italy on 18Oct44. He was authorized seven bronze stars. Upon discharge from the service, he returned to Dillon and his job with Southern Bell.
He had met Lois Turbeville during his work in Dillon before the war and they corresponded throughout his service. They married in 1946 and raised six children (Ray, Jr., Shirley (Osborn), Jean (Reeves), John, Don, and Charles.
Ray was a member of First Baptist Church and the Dillon Kiwanis Club. He was active in both the church and the club.
As a member of the Kiwanis Club, Wilson was a mainstay in the baseball program. He coached in the 1950s and 1960s, and was known for doing what needed to be done. The scoreboard at Kiwanis field was named in his honor.
He died in 2000 leaving a legacy of love for and service to his fellowman.

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