Bob attended Snyder High School, graduating in 1948. His classmates aptly described him as very friendly, dependable, and fun to be with and with a love of sports and music. After high school Bob attended Arlington State College in Arlington, TX, for two years. He received an appointment to the United

States Military Academy from Representative George Mahon of the 19th Congressional District of Texas and entered on 5 Jul 1950 with the Class of 1954.

Bob’s four years at the Academy were marked by his friendliness and his willingness to tackle any task, be it military leadership, athletics or academics, and see it through to a successful conclusion. His maturity and common sense were very evident, and he was selected as a cadet officer in his First Class year. His academic prowess varied greatly; from being highly ranked in English to being ranked near the bottom in engineering subjects. To his roommates who struggled mightily and risked staying up after taps to complete writing requirements, Bob’s ability to write and produce a first draft that was also his final draft and earn a top grade was a matter of considerable amazement and envy. His struggles with engineering subjects and his ability to work out of being declared deficient were epitomized by the determination with which he tackled the final examinations in Mechanics of Solids during his third year. He was deficient by several units going into the final exams and, recognizing his dilemma, began making a notebook in which he meticulously documented the solutions to all the assigned homework problems. He did this himself, rarely asking for help. His work bore fruit, and he made up his grade deficiency and passed the course. It was somewhat ironic that other classmates, recognizing Bob’s diligent work, came to him for help in studying for their finals in this course. This ability to dig in and solve problems was a hallmark of Bob’s life, both in the military and later in his work for Western Electric and AT&T.

Upon graduation, Bob was commissioned in the Infantry. He successfully completed Airborne School and the Ranger Course and was assigned as a platoon leader in a rifle company of the 23rd Infantry Regiment at Ft. Lewis, WA, serving there in 1955 and 1956. Bob’s company commander, a West Point Class of 1948 graduate and Korean War veteran, wrote of Bob’s service with the regiment: “He is the best officer with whom I’ve ever served.” Bob later transferred to the Corps of Engineers and was assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Richardson, AK. He soon got to apply all of the engineering subjects he struggled with at the Academy. He was put in charge of building two 150-foot bridge spans over Ship Creek in Anchorage, each handling 11,000 vehicles a day. In 1957 he resigned his commission and began working for Western Electric in their Underwater Sound Research and Development Division. He wrote about that job in a letter: “For twelve years I exercised my superior physics and math skills (remember Raleigh’s wave equation and Snell’s law) and marched across the world’s oceans hiding submarine detection devices.” For his work in this program he was awarded a U.S. Navy Citation for Distinguished Civilian Service. In 1971, Bob was assigned as Western Electric’s regional manager with the Safeguard Missile Program on Kwajalein Island. In 1975 he was assigned to a special AT&T project to build a state-of-the-art telephone system for the Shah of Iran. In 1979 he returned to North Carolina as Manager of Engineering and Human Resources for AT&T at their facility in Winston-Salem.

Bob loved to play golf and was very good at the game. He was a member of the Board of the Bermuda Run Country Club and served several years on the executive committee of the Bing Crosby National Celebrity Golf Tournament held annually at Bermuda Run.

An obituary written for an AT&T publication cites Bob as: “A man for all seasons, he was a West Point Graduate, an engineer, an astute businessman and manager, and an athlete. He was a bright, intelligent man, well versed in many fields. He was an honest man with impeccable integrity. He possessed a quick wit and a keen sense of humor. Most importantly, he was a loving husband and father and a genuine friend to all. It’s ironic in a way that a man with a heart as big as his would leave us in this premature fashion because his physical heart decided to call it quits.” These words express what all of us would want said about how we lived our lives. Bob’s life is a testament to the ideals of West Point. No one who knew him would ever doubt his sincerity in dealing with individuals, his dedication to his country and to the tasks at hand, and his willingness to work as long and as hard as necessary to reach the goal. He is survived by two daughters, Ann West and Barbara Toliver, and by his sister Virginia Preuitt Clark, Jr.