Robert Leffingwell Schanen

While at the university, Second Lieutenant Schanen was a member and served as president of Delta Tau Delta. He received a B.A. in 1939 and an L.L.B in 1941. The family has many generations with proud UW-Madison graduates. Before enlisting, he had a brief career as a lawyer and was interested in air law.

He was initially trained to be a pilot but was later transferred to the study of navigation. He received his wings April 1, 1943. For the next two months, he was involved in training flights over the United States of America.

Second Lt. Schanen was killed in action on his 26th birthday. At the time, he was stationed in England, and was a navigator on the Flying Fortress "Ascend Charley."

Had his life not been taken while serving, he would have practiced law with his father, William F. Schanen. William grandfather was an attorney of in Ozaukee County, Wis., whom a court proclaimed to be one of the finest attorneys to ever practice law in Wisconsin. He practiced law for 50 years in the building he purchased before the war, called the Schanen Building. It is still there today. It was meant to house the law firm of Schanen and Schanen, Attorneys at Law. After Second Lieutenant Schanen’s death, his father's dream of a law practice with his beloved son was dashed.