PROFILE OF A MUSEUM VOLUNTEER
BOB HILL

Robert L. Hill was born February 24, 1942 in Visalia, CA to Floyd L. and Louise Hill. After WWII, his father returned from serving in the Pacific Theater and the family moved to Fresno. Robert (Bob) attended John Muir Elementary, McKinley School, and graduated from Central Union High School in 1960.

After graduation Bob enlisted in the U S Coast Guard. He had an interest in music at the early age of 5, learning the violin and piano; then several others along the way. Bob played various instruments in the USCG Marching band for five months while attending ten months of training as a Hospital Corpsman. Upon graduation he was stationed aboard the Boston, MA Home Port USCG Cutter Casco, where he remained for eleven months. During this tour a Chief Cook sliced the middle finger of his left hand from the tip of the fingernail to the top of the hand; bringing the severed finger to sick bay asking Bob, "Can you fix this". The Captain kept the ship as steady as possible while Bob spent three hours suturing the finger back on with thirty-two stitches. Being really afraid of infection, Bob kept the man (Frenchy) in sick bay, where he changed the dressings every four hours. Being allergic to penicillin, Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland became involved, having him disburse 600 Mg of tetracycline to Frenchy every 12 hours. The Casco was on patrol eleven more days before being relieved on Station Bravo (middle of the Atlantic between the U S and Europe) by the USCG Barataria out of Portland ME. Three days later they pulled into Naval Station Argentia where Frenchy was checked out and released with flying colors by the hospital. They all arrived at their home base in Boston two days later, where Frenchy was waving goodbye with all fingers looking good. Upon leaving the Casco, Bob served temporary duty at stations USCG Bouy Tender Evergreen, Boston, MA, USCG Air Station Salem, MA, USCG Cutter Bibb Boston, MA and USCG Base Alameda, CA.

Bob met Carol Adjutant from Wolfboro, NH while serving aboard the USCG Cutter Casco. After receiving his discharge, the two were married October 9, 1965 and made their home in Sonora, CA. November 22, 1966 the couple were blessed with a son, Steven. Bob drove logging trucks for eight years until moving to Fresno to work for Willig Freight Lines; retiring in 1999.

Bob and Carol worked for the American Motorcycle Association as officials. They served as Race Director, and head of registration for the AMA Supermoto National Series until it was dropped in 2006, but continued to work in Dirt Track and Road Race until 2010. They have made their home in Madera Ranchos, CA.

History and Music were always Bob's favorite subjects in school, and still are. He was always amazed at what the Greatest Generation did in WWII, and for over forty years, has read any non-fiction book he could find to learn more. As he and Carol worked with the AMA they traveled to every state in the union to run races. In those travels they stopped at every major and local museum they could. Bob became a docent at the Veterans Memorial Museum in 2014, simply because it is the best WWII Museum in the Western United States, bar none.