Born the son of a blacksmith in Rock Island, IL, Robert Warren Anderson was known at West Point as the lanky, blonde, steel man from Gary, IN, who had spent two years as a Purdue Boilermaker. This lent him an aura of experience and grit to go with his ample and sometimes wry sense of humor. Bob was the kind of guy who thought learning how to jump out of perfectly good airplanes was much more fun than summer leave. He was also a man who faced hard times and difficult people forthrightly, while retaining a mischievous twinkle in his eye that said—this may hurt now, but it will make one uproariously funny story later.
Following graduation, an Infantry commission, and Ranger qualification, Bob joined the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg. His next assignment was the 196th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division, Republic of Vietnam. During his eighteen months in Vietnam as a Long Range Reconnaissance Platoon leader and assistant operations officer, he was wounded in combat three times.
Other postings include a stint as a desk officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he frequently fielded questions from then National Security Advisor Dr. Henry Kissinger; and, following his transfer to the Ordnance Corps, a final Army assignment as an engineer at Test and Evaluation Command. He resigned his commission in 1976 and began work as a production engineer for Corning, followed by positions at Dexter Corporation and Imperial Coatings. He joined the CIA in 1985 and served as a program manager until retiring from Federal Service in 1996. The Agency awarded him the Intelligence Commendation Medal upon his departure. He then joined Boeing, working at the regional area office until his death.
Bob showed his skill and dedication as a mentor early in yearling year by tutoring Mike Murphy ’70 in plebe math, a deed that led to a lifelong friendship. His dedication to the welfare and nurturing of subordinates was demonstrated time and again during subsequent years. From refusing to accept an award unless his men were appropriately recognized to taking new hires and co-ops under his wing at the CIA and Boeing, Bob saw a duty to cultivate and promote those who worked for him.
Bob’s easy-going, gregarious personality seems at odds with pursuits often thought of as solitary, but in Bob the craftsman was also the teacher. One of his passions was woodworking; so much so, that he refused even to consider an all-in-one machine for his shop, opting instead for the finest array of tools he could afford. He was a member of the Washington Woodworkers Guild, often sharing his skills with others and teaching neighborhood teens. One of his final goals was to finish a handmade wooden truck for each of his grandsons to remember him by. Thanks to fellow guild member, Rick White, Bob was able to complete the last truck despite his debilitating illness.
His other interests included hand-building 17th century period furniture, traditional rug hooking, fly fishing, car restoration, and gourmet cooking. Talking to him on the phone around meal time was like asking "What’s for dinner" on Hee Haw. He would regale you with a menu of culinary delights fit for a five star restaurant.
Bob was most noted in Arlington for having built his home entirely by himself, mastering skills such as framing carpentry, slate roofing, and brick laying as needed. Bob’s wry sense of humor sometimes caught people off guard as occurred some months before his death during one of his all too frequent visits to the Kaiser Medical pharmacy. Observing a long line of elderly ladies waiting their turn with the pharmacist, he loudly announced, "I’m a man, and I have important things to do, so I’m sure all you ladies will step aside and let me goto the front of the line!"
Bob died of complications from cancer at Inova Alexandria Virginia Hospital. He had resided in Arlington for 20 years. He was, to all who knew him, a man to emulate. Survivors include his wife of 32 years, Shirley A. Anderson of Arlington; two daughters, Tanya M. Anderson of Phoenix, Arizona, and Andrea L. Wilkinson of Alexandria; brothers James V., William, and Danny E. Anderson; and sister Linda Shaw. He is also survived by three grandsons: Bruce G. Wilkinson, Charles D. Wilkinson, and Matthew Elijah Wangeman.
— Art Faris, F-1 Classmate