Robert Byron "Bob" Hamm

Robert Byron "Bob" Hamm

Robert Byron "Bob" Hamm, age 76, died on Saturday, October 8, 2016.

A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church, 500 Common Street in Shreveport, LA, at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, October 15th. Dr. Pat Day of First United Methodist Church and Dr. Greg Davis of Broadmoor United Methodist Church will co-officiate the service. Visitation with the family will follow the service at a reception in Bain Hall.

Bob moved with his family from Minden, Louisiana, to Shreveport when he was six years old. He attended C.E. Byrd High School and graduated in 1958 as an all-state football player. Bob signed with Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he played alongside SMU stars such as Don Meredith and Jerry Mays. After leaving SMU in 1962, he worked as a co-op engineer for a Dallas mechanical contractor before returning to Shreveport to work for the family business, the Shreveport Plumbing Company. In 1964, this company became Berg Mechanical, and, later, Berg, Inc. In his forty-five-year career with Berg, Bob held almost every job in the company, including, draftsman, estimator, project manager, marketing vice president, operations manager and president/CEO, and chairman of the board. In June of 2006, he negotiated the sale of Berg, Inc., to Johnson Controls, Inc., and stayed on as District General Manager of Berg Mechanical, a Division of Johnson Controls, Ind., until his retirement in May 2008. Bob then helped found Hamm Mechanical, LLC, in 2010, where his son, William Hamm, serves as president. He retired in 2013.

Bob also dedicated himself to a broad range of community service, and he shared his leadership skills with numerous organizations. He served on the board of the Rotary Club of Shreveport, as a Centenary College Trustee, was President of the Alliance for Education and Chairman of the Board of the LSUS, LSU Health Sciences Center Foundation, Chairman of the Board of the Council for a Better Louisiana and Health Plus of Louisiana, Holy Angels Residential Facility, President of the Committee of One Hundred, Chairman of the Board of the Strategic Action Council of Northwest Louisiana, and Chairman of the Board of the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce. He was also honored with the Distinguished Service Award, Mechanical Contractors Association of America, and the United Way of Northwest Louisiana's Clyde Fant Memorial Award for Community Service in 2004. Recognitions from Byrd High School, his alma mater, include induction into both the Alumni Hall of Fame (2006) and the Lettermen's Athletic Hall of Fame (2007). In acknowledgement of his success in business, his ethics, integrity, and his unflagging community service, his peers elected him for induction as a JA Laureate into the Junior Achievement of North Louisiana Business Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2011, the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce selected him as their Business Leader of the Year. He believed in the value of relationships and served as a valued mentor to many in the community.

While working in Dallas, Bob met Celeste Belle Tindol of Alexandria, and the two married in 1965. During their fifty-one years of marriage, the couple raised three children and many family pets, including Duke, his beloved Rottweiler. With patience and determination, Celeste dragged him to season after season of LSU football games, eventually converting him into a diehard Tigers fan. Bob led an active life and enjoyed many hobbies, including snow skiing, reading, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, travel, military history, and public speaking. He was also an avid collector and reader of cookbooks. Bob even compiled his own annual collection of favorite recipes, which he shared with friends and family. He loved good food and good conversation, and, perhaps nothing brought him greater joy than cooking with and for his family.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife, Celeste, and his three loving children and their spouses: Celeste Hamm Barlow and Todd Allen Barlow, of Baton Rouge; Robert Byron Hamm, Jr., Ph.D., and Julie Ann Mickelberry of Santa Barbara, CA; and William Tindol Hamm and Callie Wilhite Hamm of Shreveport. Bob adored his seven grandchildren, who lovingly referred to him as "Cat Daddy": Camille Taylor Barlow, Rachel Grace Barlow, and Abby Elizabeth Barlow of Baton Rouge; Nathaniel Finley Hamm of Santa Barbara, CA; Connor Wynn Hamm, Annie Tindol Hamm, and Mollie Mabel Hamm of Shreveport. He is also survived by his sister, Jo Ann Jones of Phoenix, AZ; nephew William Ellis Hamm and wife Linda of Shreveport; niece Susan Elizabeth Hamm of Shreveport; nephew David Phillip Hamm and wife Suzanne of Shreveport; nephew Jeffrey Thomas Hamm and wife Tamera of Dallas, TX; and numerous great-nephews and great-nieces.

Bob is preceded in death by his parents William Meadows Hamm and wife Annie Lee Staples Hamm; his brother William Meadows Hamm, Jr., and wife Sybil; his sister Harriet and her husband Chris Berg; his niece Sally Chandler Hamm; and his nephew Steven Eric Hamm.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Chris Colvin, John Dalton, John Frazier, Connor Hamm, Art Magee, Bill McClure, Harry McInnis, Jr., Malcolm Murchison, Jim Murphy, Armand Roos, Danny Simon, and Dick Wenninger.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Rotary Club of Shreveport Foundation, P.O. Box 380, Shreveport, LA, 71162; or United Way of Northwest Louisiana, 820 Jordan St., Ste. 370, Shreveport, LA, 71101; or The Pet Savers Shelter, 4380 Noyes Dr., Shreveport, LA ,71119.