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Hoosier Farm Boy
Becomes America’s Uncle Bob
Bob Wolfe, a native of Indiana, is teaching reunion attendees how to be sure their reunion is successful. In his book “Secrets of Successful Family Reunions” he extols the need for a reunion goal, the need to keep our teenagers involved and the value of year round family contact.
All of this, he declares, is necessary and the best way to transmit our values from one generation to another. He claims this is a great antidote for a rootless generation.
Wolfe (aka Uncle Bob) grew up on a Sullivan County farm in a family of 7 children marked by the great depression era. He came out of World War II with a little used Naval Officer’s commission and an unused degree in Mechanical Engineering.
In 1947 he joined the Visking Corp., Fort Harrison Road, Terre Haute, Indiana. This is currently the Ethyl-Visqueen Facility. At that time it was the only plant in the world manufacturing polyethylene film. Two years latter he married Virginia Whitesell of Terre Haute and a graduate of Indiana State University.
Having carefully selected a local manufacturing plant with a Chicago based home office, they expected to spend their life in the Midwest. His carefully laid plans were changed in 1957 when Union Carbide bought Visking. Wolfe became a strong contributor to film technology. He registered many patents that later became standard industry practice as the polyethylene film business exploded worldwide.
Wolfe continued his leadership, by managing plants in Cartersville, GA, Ottawa, IL that led the world in Glad Products and other plastic items. Having served UCC in 9 locations he realized the need for more family stability for his three children and started the annual reunions his family has enjoyed for 40 years. They have continued to visit their home areas regularly. Reunions were initially held on the Sullivan county farm but more recently have been held at Indiana State Parks.
People gravitated to him for his expertise of family reunions so that in 2006 at the age of 80 he decided to record the Wolfe Reunion method in book form.
The result is a how-to-book for successful family reunions applicable to any venue. Whether simple or elaborate it helps those who wish to pass their values to the next generation.
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