NO BLES Bul le tin - Noble and Greenough School

Former Head Charles Wiggins’ Grandson Flies High,
First in U.S. Air Force, then in Ministry
CHICAGO—Greg Wiggins ’65,
a grandson of one former Head
(Charles Wiggins, 1920–1943)
and nephew of another (Eliot
Putnam, 1943–1971) has remained
in some form of service throughout
his life, but the type of service has
changed radically.
After a startling epiphany, Wiggins
left his 25-year stint in the U.S. Air
Force and decided to become a “man
of the cloth.” That’s the abbreviated
version of Wiggins’ life, which continues
to evolve some 45 years out of
Nobles.
What is Nobles’ role in this
remarkable education, served on two
distinctive fronts “Nobles taught us
the importance of teamwork,” Wiggins
recalled. “It’s a school that educates
people to realize the importance of
giving back and of serving…of leaving
wherever you are a better place than
it was before you arrived. It is a school
that recognizes the innate value of each
human being and the value of hard
work.” He quoted English teacher Sid
Eaton as frequently reminding students
that “no individual is a person
unto himself.”
Upon graduating from Washington
and Lee University, Wiggins joined
the U.S. Air Force, where he remained
for 25 years. Stationed throughout the
United States, Europe and Asia, he was
trained to fly the F4 two-seated fighter;
the C141 cargo plane, and the KC 135
Stratotanker. Several of his main combat
missions took him into Vietnam.
“The saddest part of the Vietnamese
runs was loading coffins onto cargo
planes to take the bodies of American
soldiers back to the States,” he recalled.
On one occasion, he saved the lives
of his four-person crew, thanks to his
Greg ’65 and Margaret Wiggins
comprehension of the North Vietnamese
dialect which allowed him to realize
that his plane was flying directly
into an ambush.
Wiggins took a break from his
military service from 1978 to 1981 to
teach at the Fay School in Southboro,
Mass., but returned to the air when
told his services were still critically
needed.
During his tour of Alaska, he had
a nightmare or revelation, depending
on one’s perspective. His entire life, to
that point in time, flashed before him
as worthless and purposeless. He sought
help from the Chaplain’s office and was
told he needed to begin a healing process
between himself and God. At this time,
Wiggins began addressing God directly:
“If You are real, You must reveal Yourself,”
he recalled saying aloud.
Wiggins credits his wife Margaret
with helping him heal. “Before Margaret,
I had emptiness; now I have fulfillment,”
he said. He enrolled in the
interdenominational Trinity International
University, an evangelical school.
He eventually retired as a full-time
minister with Living Waters Assembly
of God to look after his wife, who
recently lost her sight. Wiggins now
serves as an associate pastor and teacher
who also does visitations and funerals.
He recalls frequently the influence
of his uncle, Eliot Putnam: “He was a
man of strong and gracious principles
who knew exactly what he stood for.
There was not a speck of arrogance
about him.”
In summing up his life since
he found God and entered the clergy,
Wiggins attests: “God has fulfilled what
he promised me about 30 years ago.”
—Joyce Leffler Eldridge
22 l THE NOBLES BULLETIN l SPRING 2010