Madison
County Genealogical Society
Minutes of the Meeting - November 12, 2015
The November 2015 meeting of the
Madison County Genealogical Society was held at the Alton Museum of History and
Art, 2809
College Avenue,
Alton, Illinois, on Thursday, November 12, at 7:00 pm.
GIFT
MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE
Do you have a family member that is
interested in (or even obsessed with) genealogy? A membership in the Madison
County Genealogical Society would be a very thoughtful gift. A gift card will
be sent to the recipient of any gift membership.
The following memberships are available:
Individual/Family Annual Membership $20.00
Patron Annual Membership $30.00
Life Membership $250.00
Contact our Secretary, Petie Hunter, at petie8135@att.net,
about a gift membership.
November
Meeting
On Thursday, November 12, 2015, thirteen
members of the Madison County Genealogical Society met at the Alton Museum of
History and Art for An Evening
with Robert Wadlow, Alton's Gentle Giant. Starting at 7:00 pm, we
browsed through the museum, concentrating on the many displays of items owned
or used by Robert Wadlow, photos of Robert, from age 3 months to 22 years of
age, and other information about the young man.
After sufficient time for all those in attendance to examine all the Wadlow
displays, we gathered in the auditorium to watch a video about the life of this
amazing individual.
Robert Pershing Wadlow was born February 22, 1918, in Alton, Illinois. The
doctor assured his parents that they had a perfectly normal eight and one-half
pound baby boy. By the age of six months, Robert weighed 30 pounds; and 62
pounds at the age of 18 months. At the age of five years, he was examined for
life insurance and passed with no problems. The insurance company, however,
returned the application-there must be an error either in age or size. Only on
the testimony of the examining physician that there had been no mistake was the
policy finally granted.
Many times there were problems when Robert was traveling with his parents on a
train or bus-the conductor or driver would not believe that Robert was young
enough to travel for no cost. As Robert was growing up, his playmates were his
age, but much smaller than he and his toys were always too small for him.
In September 1923, when Robert started school, he was just a bit over five and
a half years of age, but wore a suit made for a boy of seventeen years! The
chairs, tables, and desks were too small for him, but he became accustomed to
school. He made rapid progress and his teachers considered him very
intelligent. When Robert entered the third grade, he was six feet tall. At his
tenth birthday, he was six feet, five inches tall and weighed two hundred ten pounds.
Clothing became a problem. Robert had outgrown stock sizes for men and
everything had to be tailored for him. The problem was made worse because of
the fact that his clothes needed altering before the new was worn off. His
shoes had to be specially made and many times by the time the shoes were
completed, Robert had outgrown them. His maximum shoe size was reached when he
was 20 years of age - 37AA.
Shortly before Robert's twelfth birthday, a doctor was able to explain his
phenomenal growth as a malfunction of his pituitary gland. However, the doctor
recommended that the Wadlow family not try to have the defect corrected, as it
was a dangerous operation and could prove fatal.
When Robert joined the Boy Scouts in 1931, he became the largest Boy Scout in
the world-seven feet three inches tall and two hundred and sixty pounds. When
Robert graduated from high school in 1936, his gown contained fourteen yards of
material and his cap was size eight and a half-Robert was eight feet three
inches tall.
Robert entered Shurtleff College but only attended one semester. The icy walks
made travel between buildings too difficult and dangerous for Robert.
Robert began traveling more for the Peters Shoe Company. The company had been
furnishing Robert with shoes in return for him doing promotional tours for
them. In June of 1940, Robert and his father set out on another promotional
tour for Peters Shoe Company. Their destination was Manistee, Michigan, where
Robert was scheduled at the Lumberman's Festival on the Fourth of July. After
the brief appearance, they went to their hotel for lunch and to rest until time
for a parade in which Robert was to ride. Robert complained to his father of
not feeling well and did not eat his lunch. However, Robert insisted he felt well
enough to appear in the parade. By the time the parade was only half over,
Robert was hardly able to sit upright.
After the parade, they drove back to the hotel and Robert was put to bed and
the house physician was called. Robert soon had a high temperature as a result
of a badly infected ankle. The infection was caused by a poorly fitting brace
on a weak ankle. Robert's mother and younger brother came to Manistee on July
6. Robert's temperature climbed to as high as 106 degrees. About 1:30 in the
morning of July 15, 1940, Robert quietly passed away. At the time of his death,
Robert stood 8 feet, 11.9 inches tall and weighed nearly 500 pounds - and was
still growing!
This presentation was very well received and provoked many questions and
comments.