Robert R. Joslin 1923-1989

JOSLIN, HAZEN, CHAMBERLIN, FERGUSON, YOUNG, PHILLIPS

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 4/23/2016 at 08:41:48

29 April 1989 Sun-News

Funeral services for Robert R. Joslin, 65, were held at the Clarence United Methodist church April 18 with the Rev. Tom Biatek officiating. Burial was in the Clarence cemetery. Sally Sawyer was organist.

Mr. Joslin died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at his farm home near Clarence April 15.

The son of Roy and Verna Hazen Joslin he was born at Anamosa Sept. 30, 1923. He was a graduate of Clarence high school in 1940 and attended Iowa State University until the end of the first semester of his sophomore year when he enlisted as an aviation cadet in the US Army Air Force Feb. 21, 1943.

He trained in Wisconsin, California, Texas and New Mexico. As a bomber pilot he first trained on B-17s, then ordered to combat duty in the Pacific, he was pilot and airplane commander of B-29s.

First Lt. Joslin flew 35 missions against the Japanese, 526 combat hours while on bombing attacks during the 8 months he served with the 20th Air Force. He had 1,200 flying hours in military aircraft.

When he was separated from service in December, 1945, he returned to Iowa State where he received his degree in agricultural economics in 1947. He then returned to Cedar county and the Joslin family farm, where he began farming with his father, Roy.

He became a member of the Cedar County Farm Bureau in 1948 and went through the "steps" of county and state Farm Bureau.

He represented east-central Iowa on the state Farm Bureau board for 6 years. He was vice president of the farm organization for 10 years while Dean Kleckner was president. When Kleckner became American Farm Bureau president, Joslin was elected president of the Iowa Farm Bureau. He served for 2 years, then declared that he was not a candidate for reelection in December, 1987.

Joslin was a 4-H club leader, United Methodist Sunday school teacher, school board member and a member of the Iowa Extension Advisory board. He was a member of Growmark Inc., the regional farm supply and grain marketing cooperative affiliated with the Farm Bureau in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.

As vice president he directed the lengthy process by which the influential Farm Bureau developed policies and defined its lobbying priorities. He is credited with providing quiet, firm leadership in directing the Farm Bureau in issues facing rural Iowans and providing direction in the Farm Bureau's approach to farm problems.

Joslin was married to Milly Chamberlin at Center Point June 25, 1946. He was a member of the Methodist church and active in the Republican party in Cedar county.

The Joslin family was one of the first to incorporate a farm operation in Cedar county in 1966. Robert and Millie Joslin established the Crathmenn Corporation in 1973.

Mr. Joslin is survived by his wife; 4 daughters, Chris Ferguson, Tulsa, Okla.; Kathy Young, Freeport, Ill.; Ann Joslin, Boise, Idaho and Meg Joslin, Des Moines; a sister, Jeanne Phillips, Iowa City and a brother, Ken, Eustis, Fla.

He was preceded in death by a daughter.