Robert Alexander Fuhrman

Robert Alexander Fuhrman Feb. 23, 1925 - Nov. 21, 2009 Pebble Beach - Robert Alexander Fuhrman, 84, an aviation and engineering pioneer, passed away on November 21, 2009, in Pebble Beach, California. Bob and his wife, Nancy, were long time residents of Pebble Beach, following Bob's retirement in 1991 from Lockheed Missile and Space Company where he served as Vice Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Operating Officer. Bob was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 23, 1925. During his service in the United States Navy, he graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1945. After graduation, he became a flight test engineer and then a project engineer at the Patuxent River, Maryland Naval Air Test Center, during which time he had the opportunity to have as students future astronauts such as Alan Shepard and Sen. John Glenn. He received his masters degree in Fluid Mechanics and Dynamics from the University of Maryland and Bob then took his young family to San Diego, California, where he spent five years at Ryan Aeronautical Company, working on some of the earliest vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and rising to the position of Chief of Technical Engineering. Bob next joined Lockheed Missile and Space Company and commenced work on the development of the Polaris missile system. Throughout his long career at Lockheed, Bob was a key participant in the development of several noteworthy civil and military aviation advances. Not only was he an important factor in the development of the first submarine launched ballistic missiles, the Polaris and Poseidon programs, Bob was involved in the management of many other programs in the missile, space, and aeronautical sectors. The list includes aeronautical programs like the L1011 passenger airliner, strategic reconnaissance aircraft such as the SR71 Blackbird (the only Mach 3 operational aircraft ever deployed), the F117 Nighthawk (the first operational stealth fighter), as well as Lockheed's work on many aspects of the U.S. space program. For his achievements he was named a fellow of the National Academy of Engineering in 1976 and in 1987 he received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Michigan, something a true Wolverine like Bob always cherished. Bob was proud of his time at Lockheed and especially of the people with whom he worked, but was humble about his accomplishments and many awards. He always had an understanding when it came to very difficult design and engineering problems because he was true engineer at heart. When asked how he handled the stress of his job, he noted that since he survived the crisis of having a new airliner (the L1011), finished, but unable to fly because the engine manufacturer had declared bankruptcy, he found everyday problems simply a routine challenge. Bob was also a longtime member of the Boards of Directors of Bank of the West and the Bank's parent, Bancwest Corporation. Joining the Boards in 1981, Bob was named Vice Chairman in 1990 and Chairman of the Board in 1992, where he served until 1995. He continued to serve as a director of both at the time of his death. Some of Bob's other achievements include his induction into the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame, as well as his receipt of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Maryland's College of Engineering. He also served on the Board of Directors of Draper Laboratory for a number of years and also was a member and advisor to the Defense Science Board, the Air Force Science and Technology Board, among many others. He was an Honorary Fellow at the National Academy of Engineering and a long-time member and past-president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, for which he gave the von Karman Lecture for his work on the Fleet Ballistic Missile Systems. In short, his many awards and achievements illustrate how Bob dedicated his life before and after retirement to the defense of our nation. Bob was a quiet, patriotic man, fiercely loyal to his family, friends and country. Always available and generous with his time, Bob was equally proud of both his children and grandchildren and Nancy's children and grandchildren. He leaves behind his sister, Eloise Schmidt, and his nieces and nephews, Robert, Genevieve, Harold and Eileen as well as his children from his marriage to Nan McCormick Fuhrman (who died in 1988), LeeAnne Kahl, Richard and Vangie Fuhrman, and William and Diana Fuhrman. He also loved his many grandchildren, Alexis Kahl-Jagielski and her husband, Dan, Brennan Kahl, Ricky, Ryan, and Ali Fuhrman, Robert and Rebecca Fuhrman and his sole great-grandson, Ryder Jagielski, as well as Nancy's children and grandchildren, Scott and Valeria Richards, Michelle and Frank Aliotti and their children, Madalynn and Gaspare. For more than twenty years, Nancy and Bob shared their love of travel and simple pleasures. He was generous, he was kind, and most of all, he was a quiet, dignified man. A celebration of Robert Fuhrman's life will be held on December 6, 2009 at 2:00 PM at the Church in the Forest, 3152 Forest Lake Rd. (Robert Louis Stevenson Campus), Pebble Beach, California, 93953. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Community Hospital Foundation, P.O Box HH, Monterey, California 93942. To sign Robert's guest book and leave messages for his family, please visit www.thepaulmortuary.com.