Clan William: Wayne Clyde Munson

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Freeman Munson > Amos Munson > Charles Fremont Munson > Clyde Amos Munson > Wayne Clyde Munson >

Several of the Munsons and Vaughns (who married into the Munson family) ended up in Hawkeye, Iowa in Fayette County. We've discussed the 3rd great grandfather, Amos, his son Charles Fremont Munson, his son Clyde Amos Munson and now on to the final in the line, Wayne Clyde Munson.

Wayne Clyde Munson was a high-achieving student who attended school in Belvidere, Illinois in 1931 - I'm still trying to discover why.  He did not return to Belvidere in 1932, and in July 1931 had a tonsilectomy. When he attended Hawkeye high school and was involved in many organizations at the school including music and journalism. He was selected for Boy's All State as a junior. As a senior, he was captain of the football squad and he won two scholarships for college - one to Upper Iowa University and one to Luther College. He was also third alternate to appointment to the US Naval Academy. 

One of the jobs he held in school was as carpenter's assistant to Walter Peterson. After graduation, he was appointed as a clerk at the DMV in Oelwein, a position which I'm sure he had dad's influence to get. He began attending Upper Iowa in 1941.

The war was looming and by 1942, he had joined the US Marine Corps Reserves and went on active duty as a PFC in May 1943. After training in Oceanside, California, he was sent to the Pacific Theatre and spent time in the Marshall Islands, Tarawa, and Saipan. He received two battle stars while there. He was returned on active duty to the US and served in the quartermaster division at Camp Lejuene before being discharged in early February of 1946 as a sergeant.

Wayne held a variety of jobs after his return and lived in Hawkeye, Charles City, and Waterloo. He worked at Oliver Tractor Corp. while in Charles City. While there and working as a cop in Charles City, he met his wife, Rena Gail Binger, daughter of the Kermit Bingers. Kermit was the Charles City police chief for many years.  They married on January 2, 1947 at Austin, Mower County, Minnesota. He was by now a junior at Upper Iowa University. He made the paper in a good news kind of way in 1947:

PAY OVERPARKING FEES AS CHRISTMAS GESTURE
Charles City parking violators enjoyed a merry Christmas eve - thanks to the generosity of EL Wilson and Jay Frank, both of Charles City, who paid the fees for other drivers.
Attuned to the holiday spirit, the 2 men gave Patrolmen Harold White, Rc Vickerman and Wayne Munson 100 pennies for such an emergency. The patrolmen deposited the pennies in parking meters whenever they were due and Charles City drivers continued with their Christmas shopping undisturbed. No tickets were turned in to the police department and the 3 patrolmen used up all their pennies so the friendly gesture was not in vain.
Mason City Globe Gazette December 29, 1947

In 1949, the couple had a daughter at a Decorah hospital where Wayne was attending Luther College. When I last found him, he is a sales manager at Tate Cadillac-Olds in Waterloo in 1971. Gail died on 07 Oct 1991 and Wayne died in Waterloo, Iowa, on 31 Jan 1993. The only listed survivor was a daughter of New York City.