There were hundreds of Michigan men and women killed in the Pacific Theater, Lt. Charles William Wilson of Tecumseh was a fighter pilot who was shot down in the lead up to the Battle of Okinawa.
Researchers Megan LeaTrea and Jan Mecoli Klco will share the history of Lt. Charles William Wilson, the local community at that time, and their research experiences in Hawai’i with a slide presentation.
Event Details:
Charles Wm. Wilson: Sacrifice for Freedom
Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025
Program Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Lenawee Historical Society and Museum, Frazier Auditorium on the second floor, 110 E. Church Street, Adrian, Michigan 49221
Megan LeaTrea is a senior at Whitehall High School. As a scholar and an athlete, Meg is also a nine-year veteran of both the National History Day (NHD) and FIRST Robotics programs. Through NHD, Meg has researched several topics, primarily relating to strong women in STEM and the military.
A four-time NHD national contest qualifier, Meg placed eighth in 2021 with The Key to Understanding Coded Communications: Elizebeth Smith Friedman Unlocks Enemy Secrets, Paving the Way for a Secure Nation; she ranked in the Top 20 for I’m a Soldier, Too. You Either Need Us or You Don’t: The Debate Over Women in Combat in 2022; and this past June placed 6th nationally and received the award for Best Entry in State with From Symbols to Syllables: How Grace Hopper’s Compiler Unlocked the Computer Age. Upon graduation, she hopes to attend the US Air Force Academy enroute to a life of service to her country as an officer and a fighter pilot.
In 2023, Megan and her NHD coach, Jan Mecoli Klco, were selected as one of 16 student/teacher pairs from the United States and its territories to participate in the Sacrifice for Freedom: World War II in the Pacific Student & Teacher Institute, sponsored by the Pacific Historic Sites Partners and National History Day. For several months, the two researched the war and a local silent hero who was killed in combat.
Of the hundreds of Michigan men and women killed in the Pacific Theater, Lt. Charles William Wilson of Tecumseh spoke to the pair as wanting his story told. A fighter pilot who was shot down in the lead up to the Battle of Okinawa, his story struck a chord for the future service member.
With help from the Lenawee Historical Society and the staff at the Adrian Public Library, newspaper articles, and official records, the pair learned about Wilson, his family, and the significant contributions that his community made in support of the war effort.
In June of 2023, they met with the other participants in Honolulu for an intense week, visiting significant military and cultural sites, culminating with eulogies of Lt. Wilson and the other fallen heroes in a ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in the Punchbowl.
Megan and Mrs. Klco will share the history of Lt. Charles William Wilson, the community at that time, and their experiences in Hawai’i with a slide presentation, then answer questions.
Please join us on Saturday, February 15, 2025, in the Frazier Auditorium on the second floor of the museum. The museum will open at 10:00 AM with the program beginning at 2:00 P.M.
The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
