Robert E. (Bob) Munford, age 85, of Port Charlotte, Florida, passed away peacefully on April 27th 2012 in Port Charlotte Florida in attendance with his wife and family. Bob was born in Petersburg, Virginia, on February 17, 1927. His father was Marion L. Munford and mother was Rosa P. (Smith) Munford. Until the age of 15, he lived the majority of the time in Baltimore, Md. He moved with his family to Calypso, North Carolina in 1942 where his parents operated a small gas station. He graduated from Calypso High School in the spring of 1943 at the age of 16. That summer he went to work as a civilian for the Seymour Johnson Army Air force based in Goldsboro, NC. After being sent for three months of training as a machinist at the Pennsylvania state school of aeronautics in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he returned to Seymour Johnson and as a machinist helper, producing parts for aircraft repair during 1943 and 1944. After trying to get into the Merchant marine and failing the weight limit (he was underweight), in 1945 he was drafted into the Army Infantry upon reaching the age of 18. During WWII (1945-1946) his service was spent in the Pacific Theater, stationed in Kobe, Japan. After leaving the service, he tried auto body repair work in Baltimore in 1947, which he didn’t care for, especially the weather conditions, so he quit that job and went to Jacksonville, Florida, where his parents had relocated.

Soon after his arrival there, he attended a school of radio and television which prepared students to qualify for a First Class radio telephone license, issued after being tested by the Federal Communications Commission. Radio and Television stations at that time required a licensed maintenance operator on duty at the transmitter site whenever the station was on the air. Bob’s first radio transmitter maintenance job was with a newly operational radio station in Brunswick, Georgia in early 1949. He worked there until early 1953. In addition to transmitter duties, he also worked at a radio repair shop repairing radios and televisions as well as installing home television antennas. In his final year at that station, he had applied for a position with the US Information Agency’s Voice of America overseas program. It was February 17th,1953, his last day of working at that radio station, when that afternoon he married Eva May Jones, his girlfriend of several years. They were married in Kingsland, Georgia, after which they motored north on an open ended honeymoon. While visiting with relatives in Baltimore, he decided to drive over to Washington, DC and inquire about the job offer at the VOA. They told him that they were committed to hire him and he would be stationed in Manila, Philippine Islands.

After a short indoctrination period in New York City of several weeks, Robert and Eva flew to Manila where they resided for about eight months until a federal reduction in force eliminated these positions overseas. Returning to the States was an adventure also because they traveled on the President Cleveland, a cruise ship which made stops in Hong Kong and Japan (where they made a side trip to Kobe, where Robert was stationed in the Army in 1945 & 1946 ), and also Hawaii on the way to San Francisco.

A short time after arriving back in the States, Robert acquired a position with a radio station in Jacksonville, Florida. In early 1954, after suffering from hay fever, he decided to travel out west and get into a different line of work such as construction or whatever. Robert and Eva were living in a small travel trailer so hitching up to it was no problem. Off they went, first to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where after a very short time, with no prospects, they decided to try opportunities in Denver, Colorado. After a short time there Robert secured a job with National Geophysical Company doing seismography exploration for oil at a site near Vernal, Utah. After doing exploratory operations in that area, the crew moved up to Lyman, Wyoming where the crew started operations in the nearby hills. While working there it stated snowing at the elevation which they were working. And this was August. Knowing that the weather was only going to get worst, Bob and Eva decided that they would not be able to withstand the living conditions in their small trailer. He quit that job, sold the trailer and headed back to the southeast. After arriving at Eva’s parents’ home in Brunswick, GA, Bob secured a position with a radio/television station, WAIM, in Anderson, South Carolina.

After working there for some time, they decided that in order to make enough money to make a little progress in their lives that one had to get a college degree. Since Bob worked the night shift and Clemson College was only about 18 miles away, he decided to enroll part time and hopefully obtain an engineering degree. As time went on and the credits were half way there they decided he would go full time while still working 8 hours a day. In order to make things a little easier he secured a job in Pendleton, SC, which was less than 5 miles from the school. After a short time they also obtained housing on the campus. The company that Bob worked for was Deering Milikan Research Corporation which provided research for that textile firm, which had numerous mills across the south. Bob worked in the Electrical department, which consisted of him and the boss. The company worked from 8 to 5 but in order for Bob to barely make enough to cover the entire home and school expenses, he was allowed to work from 1 to 9, although the doors were closed at 5 and he was left alone to work until 9 and then close up and leave. After arriving home he would study until 12 midnight. After several years of this regime, he graduated with a Physics degree, with Honor. Also by this time the family had been increased by 2 children.

After graduation Bob was recruited to the original Space Task Force Group, which later became the National Aeronautical Space Administration. He began in Langley, Virginia, as a task force Group Aeronautical Engineer. He then moved to “The Cape” in Florida and later to “Mission Control” in Houston, Texas until his eventual retirement there. Bob participated in the Mercury, Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs. Bob was the engineer responsible for the electrical power distribution and sequencing on the NASA Mercury Spacecraft. At the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston he was the Head of the Electrical Power Distribution and Sequencing Section, in the Instrumentation Systems Branch, in the Instrumentation Electronic Systems Division, of the Engineering Directorate. Bob was also the Apollo Program Command & Service Module Subsystem Manager for the Electrical Power Distribution & Control Subsystem. He played a critical role not only in the success of the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing but also the Apollo 13 mission and its safe return; Bob was involved in the later NASA Skylab, Apollo Soyuz Test Project, and the Space Shuttle Programs. After retirement from NASA Bob continued his work with Eagle Engineering as a consultant for the Aerospace Community and his last job was the design of the power system for the “Wake Shield Experiment” which flew on three Shuttle Missions.

Bob was not only an excellent engineer and manager; he was a great mentor for his colleagues and others that were fortunate to have worked with and for Bob. He was a pioneer in Aerospace Design and implementation and leaves behind his loving wife Eva of 59 years, daughters Georgia (Lupo) Munford, Rosalind (Blankenship) Munford and son Robert Munford Jr. and grandchildren Travis, Samuel and Katelyn. Sister Mildred Munford Moore, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Tidewell Hospice of SW Florida at www.tidewell.org or your local Hospice.

Friends may visit online at www.robersonfh.com to sign the memory book and extend condolences to the family.
Arrangements by Roberson Funeral Home & Cremator Port Charlotte Chapel