Robert William Bjork

ROBERT WILLIAM BJORK - a 30 year resident of Greenwich, died on October 23rd, following a long and valiant battle with Parkinson's disease. Mr. Bjork was well known in the community, both professionally as a financial consultant and privately as an active member of Stanwich Congregational Church, the Belle Haven Club, New York Sports Club, and other organizations.

He was born on May 3rd, 1926 to Alice G. Forde Bjork and Runo William Bjork, and grew up in Yonkers, New York, where he graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1944. He graduated early, and entered Princeton University.

He interrupted his studies to serve two years in the Navy during World War II serving from 1944 to 1946 as a weatherman. He served in the Pacific, on Palmyra Island, as well as aboard the USS Alcore.

He returned to Princeton where he became one of the founding members of the Tigertones, the now famous a cappella group that has continued to flourish and perform at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and abroad, at many sites around the world.

After graduating from Princeton in 1949, he went on to Harvard Law School. He graduated in 1952, and then joined the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City as a litigator. He was active in the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and served on several committees. In 1956, he was appointed an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, serving under Paul Williams in the criminal division. In 1958 he returned to private practice as an associate with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, but he left active law practice in 1960 when he was recruited by Gilbert Mackay (deceased in the 1980's) in order to help start what is now Mackay Shields Financial in pension fund asset management. Since then, he continued to be a money manager and financial consultant, having sat on the boards of five publicly held corporations including Gleason Works, of Syracuse, New York, and Kollmorgen Corporation, now a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation. More recently, he was on the advisory board of Sageworks, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and for the last eight years, he has been affiliated with Jefferson Financial Group, of Stamford, Connecticut.

He was always proud of his long association with Camp Dudley, a boy's camp affiliated with the YMCA located on Lake Champlain, where he first attended as a camper, and then continued to serve as a counselor. The blending of sports, music, other arts, and Christian education and services were all very important to him.

He was an avid sports enthusiast. He ran, played golf and tennis, and rode horses until the Parkinson's disease limited those activities. He still continued to swim and regularly exercise with trainers. In spite of progressive handicaps, he managed to pursue his greatest avocation of fly fishing. He traveled regularly in search of trout (that he released, of course), and he had some special trips to Montana, Scotland (for Salmon), and Argentina. He made regular trips to the Delaware water gap in Pennsylvania, but the annual trips to Alaska for the last ten years were his favorites, including his last fishing trip in August of this year.

Trying to stay fit and active in spite of the ravages of Parkinson's disease, he was an example of grace and courage for many.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia Hartwell, M.D., his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Bjork of Brooklyn, New York, two grandchildren, and two step-children, Alison and Geoffrey Hartwell.

Most of his ashes were interred in his family's plot in Rye, and the remaining will be spread at various favorite fishing spots and locations.

There will be a memorial service at Stanwich Congregational Church, 237 Taconic Road, in Greenwich at 4:30 P.M. on Friday, November 11th, with a reception following.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Stanwich Church at the above address (06831), or to the American Parkinson Disease Association at Parkinson Plaza, 135 Parkinson Ave., Staten Island, NY 10305-1425.