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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Mar '90
Robert Alexander Montgomery NO.16112 Class of 1946
Died 19 August 1986 in Norman, Oklahoma, aged 62 years.
Interment: Denver Cemetery, Norman, Oklahoma |
Robert Alexander Montgomery, known affectionately
as Bob, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on 7 July 1924. His
father, Colonel H. A. Montgomery, was USMA Class of 1918. Traveling
with his family during his formative years, Bob graduated from
high school at Central High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1942.
One semester at Tulsa University preceded his entrance into West
Point on 1 July 1943 with the Class of 1946. Plebe math gave
Bob many anxious moments; in fact, he was "turned out"
both in December and June during his plebe year. His roommate
recalls being impressed by his calm self-confidence during these
examinations. He was a "spoony" cadet whose shoes and
brass were always shined to a high degree. Although he was an
Army brat, Bob was something of a free and independent spirit
who enjoyed trying to push the limits of regulations. This battle
was usually won by the "Tacs," resulting in his spending
more than his share of time walking the area. He had a tremendous
determination to get through West Point and this spirit enabled
him to overcome any obstacle.
Commissioned in the Infantry, Bob was first assigned
to the 17th Infantry Regiment. This was followed by a tour with
the Korean Military Advisory Group where he helped the Korean
Military Academy staff prepare a program to bridge the gap between
training and education. From Korea, Bob joined the 14th Regimental
Combat Team at Fort Carson, Colorado. In 1951 he was assigned
to the Canal Zone, first as a company commander, then as an operations
and training officer. In 1954, Bob joined the Office of the Assistant
Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Department of the Army. 1957 saw
Bob return to Korea as intelligence officer for the 1st Battle
Group, 8th Cavalry Regiment. Bob was assigned as an instructor
at the Infantry School in 1959 where he stayed until 1964. At
that time he went to Headquarters, Central Army Group, North
Atlantic Treaty Organization. as an operations officer. 1967
again saw Bob heading to the Far East, this time to Vietnam.
He served as senior regional force advisor in one of four Vietnamese
Corps Tactical Zones. Bob's last assignment before he retired
in 1969 was at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas as post inspector general.
After retirement, Bob went to work at the University
of Oklahoma in Norman. He started off as an administrator on
the staff of the director of personnel, and when he retired just
before his death, he was assistant director of personnel. In
his work at the university, Bob brought the same principles that
were his standards throughout his active duty career. The director
of personnel at the University of Oklahoma while Bob was there
was Mr. Len Harper. The following are excerpts from a letter
Mr. Harper wrote to provide his impressions of Bob for this article:
"We worked closely together during those years and I grew
to appreciate Bob immensely as a professional, a colleague, and
a friend. Bob epitomized the application of honesty and integrity,
in all his work. He was true to these virtues without a fault
and accordingly, became a person that our faculty and staff respected
and knew they could trust. He was at once a firm disciplinarian
and a loving, caring human being. He was rare indeed in his consistent
demonstration of these qualities; a fact which commanded the
admiration of all who knew him and counted on him for anything.
I also remember Bob as being loyal. He was unquestionably loyal
to his family and his country. Beyond that, I knew him as loyal
to his faith, his employer, his colleagues, and always loyal
to 'rightness' wherever he found a need for it. I doubt that
I shall ever again know a person who could exceed Bob's diligence
to living a principled life."
As an Army brat and moving all during his active
duty days, when Bob retired to Oklahoma, he bought 20 acres of
land. He spent most of his spare time improving it with his own
labor. His dream was to spend most of his time there after his
second retirement-but that was not to be. Early in 1985, Bob
underwent surgery for lung cancer. Before the Class of 1946's
40th Reunion, two of Bob's roommates were in touch with him about
attending. Both commented about Bob's courage and continuing
good humor under such trying circumstances. He had hoped to attend
the 40th, but his health just would not allow it. Eighteen months
after his surgery Bob died. With the help of hospice, his loving
wife Jean and his children kept him at home where he died. The
irony is that Bob had worked to form a hospice in Norman, and
after his second retirement, he and Jean were going to work for
the hospice as a team.
Bob loved his family. He often said that the Army
was one of the few professions where you could serve your country,
have challenging and rewarding assignments, see the world and
raise a large family. He is survived by his wife Jean and their
children Patrick, Michael, Thomas, Catherine, Elizabeth, Christopher
and Denise. Bob planned his own funeral. He asked for an evening
mass with music played by bagpipes. The following are excerpts
from the funeral homily for Bob: "That Bob was a man of
faith was evident to all who knew him. In the years he spent
serving his country in the Army, in the years he worked here
at Oklahoma University, Bob lived as a man of faith. And towards
the end of his life, when illness began to weigh him down, his
faith was so strong that you could almost touch it. Bob lived
well and Bob died well because Bob lived and died with the Lord.
This was Bob's second treasure, his relationship with his family.
Nothing was more important to him than loving them and providing
for them and helping them to grow into the fine men and women
they are today. And it's interesting because, just like his first
treasure, his relationship with the lord, this second treasure
was so easy to see during Bob's last days. Almost all families
rally during difficult times. But I've never seen a family pull
together with more love and care and strength than the Montgomerys.
Just as their daddy was good to them, they were very good to
their daddy.
When the priest who delivered the homily asked
Bob's children what they admired most about their father, they
replied in unison. "His integrity!" Bob's wife Jean
added, "The world is a better place because he lived in
it." To Bob Montgomery, Duty, Honor, and Country were not
just words. They were the tenets by which he lived every moment
of his life. Bob's race is run, to which we must give an unqualified.
"Well Done!"
'46 Memorial Project and his wife Jean
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