Robert C. Curtis

Robert Charles Curtis, of Lexington, passed away Saturday, May 26, 2012, after a brief hospitalization. Born in Syracuse, N.Y., on Jan. 3, 1918, he attended Stanford University as a member of the class of 1940, and joined the Army Air Corps in 1941. After serving several years as a flight instructor, he was assigned to the 2nd Sq., 52nd Fighter Group, flying Spitfires and P-51 Mustangs. Between April 1943 and September 1944, he became one of the leading aces in the Mediterranean Theatre. Credited with more than 14 victories, he was made commanding officer of the squadron, attained the rank of major, and received the Distinguished Service Cross, among other awards. After obtaining his Ph.D. in meteorology from Penn State in 1957, he joined the research staff at the Air Force Cambridge Research Center, and went on to found the meteorology program at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, from which he retired as department head in 1983. In April 2012, the University established the Robert C. Curtis Founders Scholarship in his honor. In retirement, he served as editor of The American Beagle Squadron, a history of the Second Fighter Squadron, published by AuthorHouse. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, the former Louise Stires; sisters, Mary Perry of Danbury, Conn., and Julie Brooks of Monument, Colo.; sons, Richard of Groton and John of Newburyport; a daughter, Joy Madden of Acton; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. A memorial service will be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Robert C. Curtis Founders Scholarship, Dept. of Meteorology, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, the Follen Community Church in Lexington, MA, or the First Parish Unitarian Church of Bedford, MA.