Bob was born in Chicago in March, 1930. His first love was music and he began piano lessons while attending St. Francis de Paula Elementary School. He later became interested in the trumpet and that became his instrument of choice. While working with bands around the Chicago area he formed his own band and, by necessity, began to sing. He signed a record contract with Mercury Records and eventually worked on Broadway with stars like Abbott and Costello, Ella Mae Morse, Louie Jordan and Hollywood actor and tap dancer Gene Nelson.
At some point he began working at the local Lansing airport where he traded chores for flying lessons from some of the instructors and other pilots. In 1953 he was called to active duty by the US Navy. He completed his basic training at Great Lakes and was designated a Seaman after training in Jacksonville, FL. He served his active duty tour in Japan.
On July 1, 1957 Bob was hired by Eastern. Thus began a career that spanned the entire jet age at Eastern. While based in Chicago he became active in the Air Line Pilots Association and served as LEC chairman for several years. Later he moved to the management side of the airline and became the Chief Pilot at the Chicago Crew Base, then the system Chief Pilot and the Vice-President of Operations for the airline.
On July 1, 1986, Bob's twenty-ninth anniversary with Eastern, he was removed as System Chief Pilot and Vice-President of Operations as part of the Texas Air take over of Eastern. He returned to the line for the remainder of his career.
We each have many stories to tell at our annual reunion but nobody told them as well as Bob with his near photographic memory of people, places and events. He passed away on April 28, 2013 from complications from an infected gall bladder. He is survived by his lovely wife, Doty, daughters Sheila Cox and Sandra Grimm, sons Robert Jr. and Daniel, four grandchildren and his sister, Patricia Trgovich.
