Bob Mitcheltree - An Engineer's Engineer

This week we grieved the loss of Bob Mitcheltree. Some of us knew him at a personal level over many years and their grief is deep. Others, including me, knew him only professionally and that too only for the last few years. Yet we are all so grateful for the healing warmth at the Steltzner residence on Wednesday where Adam, Ben, Bob’s many friends and his parents shared their love of Bob. It might have been a chilly evening in this southern California desert but it did not feel cold.

I like others had been touched by his generosity and his willingness to share his knowledge of aerodynamics. He was always ready to take a phone call or pause in the street for a quick chat - to answer a question, to offer a suggestion. Unselfish acts of giving that added a refreshing element to the routine of a day. Still the pain and the loss I felt had an intensity that came as a surprise. After all I hadn’t known Bob all that well… But then maybe I did know him better than I thought. Thinking about it I realized Bob was truly an Engineer’s Engineer. Rock solid at a technical level, impeccable in his approach, unassuming and approachable at all levels. Someone to learn from and to emulate. Perhaps this is why I miss him. In a technical world filled with fleeting emails, ghostly Powerpoint charts and management pressures, Bob represented clarity. A source that I as an engineer could go back to – the core, the fundamentals, the thrill of technical accomplishment, the clarity of purpose. All the touchstones that I needed to remind me of the true spirit of engineering and exploration. For this I am eternally grateful. Thank you Bob.