May 2008

Bob was born in San Jose, CA, in 1944, lived briefly in Hawaii and spent fifth grade through his first year in college in Akron, Ohio. When his family moved to West Texas in 1964, he transferred to UT El Paso, obtaining a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1967. He then went to grad school at Rice University, received his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (Continuum Mechanics) in 1971, and started teaching in the Department of Engineering Science in 1970. In the mid 1980's, Engineering Science and Mechanical Engineering merged to become the present Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department.

Bob retired in 2004 after teaching at ASU for 34 years. He and his wife Sandra enjoy walking their two dogs, dining with friends, travel, the theater and golf. His extended family includes his mother Anne in Chandler, his brother Richard and their family in Mesa, and his sister Carol and her family in Victoria, TX. Bob still does some research in his area of expertise and, in conjunction with his lifetime hobby of astronomy, is building a small observatory in his backyard and working on a technical book which combines mechanics and astronomy.