"I lived at Wilmer Hall ten years ago and went to school there. Those were some of the best years of my life."
(an alumnae)

ROBERT AUBREY MATTHEWS was born on June 12th, 1914. Look at the children by the fence in the photo of Wilmer Hall above and you will see him – he’s the boy standing in front. His grandson, who lives in Mobile today, recently told us about his grandfather’s amazing life, in which Wilmer Hall played a significant part. His father died when he was a young child. Robert went to Wilmer Hall when he was about 3 years old. He is probably 4 years old in this photo. Robert’s mother and his older sister worked, but they could not make enough money to care for all the children in the family. So, his mother placed Robert and his two sisters in Wilmer Hall and visited them every week. They were not allowed to be adopted. Robert’s brother was older and he was placed in a Catholic boy’s home. Robert went to Mary B. Austin Elementary School and Murphy High School. He joined the Seafarers International Union in 1938, when he was 24 years old. At the height of his career, he was the Vice President of the Seafarers Union. He knew many influential politicians, including, John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Richard Nixon. He married Ruth Ernestine Burgess and had one daughter and two grandchildren. Robert’s brother became a prominent individual in local Mobile government and Matthews Park on Michael Boulevard In Mobile is named for him.

RICHARD BARROW, born in the hills of Blue Mountain, Alabama, lived at Wilmer Hall during the 1950s, from the time he was nine years old until he left at age seventeen. Richard and his older brother were abandoned and separated from one another and Richard was left to fend for himself. He grew up to become a drill instructor in the armed forces and served in Southeast Asia and Europe. He received a B.S. in Education from Lee University in Tennessee. Richard went on to write a book titled “Wilmer Hall” about “the choices and decisions of a boy without the guidance of parents and a natural home.” The novel is published by Publish America and you can find out more about it on the website, wilmerhallthenovel.com. That website also contains photographs of Wilmer Hall at the time Richard lived there.

Note: if you have a story about an alumnus of Wilmer Hall that you want to share, contact Cynthia Rush, Director of Development and Communications. Visit the Wilmer Hall website in the future to read about others whose lives have been touched by Wilmer Hall.