Veteran Ron Nelson still pays it forward
By Bill Esbrook
Always giving back.
Consistently paying it forward. Devoting himself to Faith, family, and country.
Those phrases might be the perfect way to describe the life of Oak Brook resident and Navy veteran Ron Nelson, who is definitely, as the saying goes, someone you should know.
Whether it’s been using his architectural and construction skills to assist others, serving his nation as an aviation instructor in the Korean War era, or lending a helping hand to his Church, he is an all-around good guy. Nelson has always had a firm belief that a person is best served in the performance of one’s duties.
“First of all, the guy is ageless,” said Doug Fitzgerald, a parishioner at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church, where Nelson – who is 93 years young – spent many years volunteering his time on projects, blueprinting, performing electrical work, remodeling, air conditioning repair, you name it.
As a matter of fact, he’s held in such high esteem at the sanctuary that the expansive social area at the facility – the Nelson-White Room – is named after him and his partner in design, Richard White.
“It’s the primary gathering place at the Church,” said Fitzgerald, “a place where you can have coffee after services and the like. Ron would just work miracles, keeping the building going. He’s such a high-character person, he’s been a great mentor to people here, and he sets a good example. He’s shown how to live an active life of service for a long time.”
Active might be a keyword, even up to the present time, of what makes Nelson tick.
Nelson started honing his jack-of-all-trades skills at a young age, growing up on the South Side of Chicago. He attended Chicago Vocational High School, where his first couple of years mainly consisted of taking shop classes.
It led to a lifelong interest in engine-ering, design, construction, and architecture, and after a stint at the University of Illinois, showed the way to his career as a draftsman for U.S. Steel. He also, in his vocation, worked as a senior designer for Argonne National Laboratory, along with a stint with a management firm for the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
He joined the Navy in 1951, where he spent four years lending a helping hand to his country. He followed his siblings, brother Robert (U.S. Navy) and sister Shirley (U.S. Coast Guard), into service.
“I just felt like it was my duty,” said Nelson of his enlistment. “I feel like if everyone did that (the country) would be in great shape.”
He found himself posted to Whidbey Island in Washington state, at the Fleet Airborne Electronic Training Unit Pacific Detachment, where, amongst other assignments, his job title was Link Trainer Instructor.
In addition to instructing USA aviators, he was sometimes also involved in the training of international flyboys. “Italian and French crews would arrive and pick up aircrafts in California – the U.S. was giving them the planes,” Nelson said. “So they had to come up here (to Washington state) and practice the air system that we had.”
Important work for sure, and Whidbey Island was also a location where he applied his creative skills to help his fellow sailors. One of the ways he assisted was by designing and painting the helmets of members of the skydiving squadron. “They wanted their helmets painted with some pretty complex designs,” he recalled.
He said that he’s gratified these days to see the respect and admiration veterans are given – something that didn’t happen after the Korean War ended, he added. “When I got out,” said Nelson, “that was actually not long after World War Two. Nobody cared about Korea. Nobody ever said, ‘(thanks for your service); have a beer on me.’ We came back and just went right back to work.”
Nelson and his wife Mary, who will be married 72 years in December, settled in Elmhurst and raised a family before moving to Oak Brook. Of course, he’s done a lot of planning, construction, and remodel work for his extended clan over the years, and in addition, lately, he has also designed and helped erect some structures and spaces in his condominium unit.
He is still giving it back and paying it forward with his talents in a life well lived with much more to come.
