I worked at FDA/CDRH for sixteen years, in another branch of Bob's
division, and knew him as a brilliant colleague and a kind human being.
I'm saddened by his death and will remember him for his keen scientific
insight, his great sense of humor, and his gentle nature.
My wife and I escaped the DC area and moved to a small town in West
Virginia when we retired in 1993. One June morning a few years ago - it
might have been 2003 or 2004 - the phone rang and it was Bob calling
from his cell phone as he and Ellyn were driving through our town. They
stopped at the house for a brief visit, a reconnection for which I am
now very grateful. I wanted to know how things were going back at FDA,
what changes had been made, what was still the same, etc. True to form,
he dismissed those questions with the briefest possible answer; he
wanted to know more about my new life in retirement and all the changes
it had brought me. He seemed to delight in it, almost to the point of
sounding envious, and yet I've known very few people who love their work
as much as Bob did. I think that's pretty much the essence of Bob -- he
loved his work, he loved his colleagues, he loved life. But in a
face-to-face conversation, he was more interested in the other party
than in talking about himself. The world is a better place for him
having been here.
David Shombert