LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - JULY 23, 2023 by Lynne Belluscio If you are ever near the World War 2 monument on Trigon Park, you will notice that there are thirty-one names listed. They are all LeRoy men who lost their lives in World War 2. But there is one name that is not there - Robert Milne. Dr. Milne did not die during the war. He died on May 4, 1948 of complications of malaria which he had contracted while serving in Italy and Africa. His story is interesting and his grave at Machpelah Cemetery has two flags. One is the Stars and Stripes of the United States – his adopted country, and the other is the Maple Leaf flag of Canada. Bob was born April 6, 1900, in Welland, Ontario, Canada, and was the son of Alexander and Ada Wakefield Milne. He graduated from the Toronto University School of Medicine in 1925 and interned at General Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. He practiced at Waterdown, Ontario for nine years before moving to LeRoy. He and his wife Helen, and their two sons lived at 23 Wolcott Street. He was a charter member of the LeRoy Rotary Club, a member of Olive Branch Masonic Lodge, the Genesee County Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the LeRoy Business Association, the Oatka Hose Company, the Board of Education and the Presbyterian Church. When war broke out, Dr.Milne, although in his forties, volunteered and joined the New York Medical Corps and was soon in the Mediterranean serving as a physician in the Army Air Corps. It is believed that it was while serving there that he contracted malaria, and when he returned home, he was frequently ill. He was admitted to the Batavia Veterans Hospital. His doctor, Dr. Knoll, was called when he was found unconscious, and although the newspaper reported that he was expected to return home, he died on May 4, 1948. The service was held at the Presbyterian Church with the Rev. E. Scott Beyers and Rev. Evan M. Jones officiating. His two sons were in high school, and the Rotary Club decided to raise money to ensure that both boys could complete college. The first Rotary Show in 1948 was organized to raise that money. After the boys completed college, the Rotary Club continued to hold Rotary Shows to raise money for the scholarship program. Although the LeRoy Rotary Club no longer holds Rotary shows, the Club has continued to award Milne Scholarships for 75 years in memory of Dr. R.E.A. Milne. The 32nd Name
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