One of the 13 Founding Fathers of the Delphic Fraternity.
Ara Wilkinson
Aug. 28, 1846 - Mar. 5, 1922
(digitally designed tombstone)
Ara Wilkinson was born on August 28, 1846, in New Berlin, Chenango, New York. His father was Amasa C. Wilkinson from Providence, Rhode Island and his mother was Anna Jenks from New Berlin, Chenango, New York.
Ara was a student at the Brockport Normal School before relocating to Geneseo. At Brockport, Ara Wilkinson was a charter member of the Gamma Sigma Society.
At Geneseo, he was one of the first graduates of the normal school. He was also one of the oldest students, and at 24 years old, he became a founding member of the Delphic Society.
In 1876, he married Margaret L. McNaughton and they raised four sons.
From 1888 to 1894, Ara was co-owner of a general hardware store in Caledonia, New York. Ara Wilkinson was the first principal of Caledonia High School and later took on the principalship at Mumford High School.
Ara Wilkinson lived in Clarkson, New York, and died in Rochester on Sunday, March 5, 1922, at the age of 75.
Sources:
Obituary, Brockport Republic, March 9, 1922.
Gamma Sigma: The First One Hundred Years, Centennial Publication of Gamma Sigma Fraternity, by Joseph W. Atkinson, p. 38, 1969 - Brockport, N.Y.