Springer: Former Executive Director passes
Top (left to right): Bob Morrisey, Jack Paxton, John Funk, Don Gee. Bottom: Jim Dibernardo, Bob Springer, Chuck Tyler and Frederico Claveria at Bob Morrisey’s home in September 1990.
Robert R. Springer, MSgt USMC (Ret.)
MSgt. Bob Springer, 84, suffered a heart attack and died in San Diego, CA on October 9. Services will be held at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on November 12. The information was passed to CCHQ by Bob’s oldest daughter, Rusty Rodriguez who indicated that Bob had been in apparently good health. As Rusty said “he was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather and we all miss him terribly.”
Bob was the second executive director serving this Association. He served as secretary/treasurer under Bob Morrisey, our original exec.
His full obituary is below:
Robert R. Springer, MSgt USMC (Ret.)
Robert R. Springer, MSgt USMC (Ret.), a resident of San Marcos, CA, died at age 84 on October 9, 2015 from a heart attack. He is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Rosemary; four daughters, Rusty and husband Mark, Robin and husband Bob, Rose, Raelene and husband Tim; two grandchildren, Philip and Marisa; brother Charles and sister Margaret.
Robert was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in January of 1931. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1948 and served in Korea in from 1951 to 1952. After spending a number of years in the administrative and recruiting fields, he entered the information field in 1958 and shortly thereafter became assistant editor of the Flight Jacket. In 1964 he reported to Quantico for assignment as Press Chief and later was named Military Editor of the Quantico Sentry. He was transferred to DINFOS at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, in 1966 and was a journalism instructor and team chief before departing for Vietnam in August 1968. He was the NCOIC of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Station on Monkey Mountain, overlooking Da Nang. Upon his return from Vietnam he was assigned to JPAO at El Toro where he retired in October 1969. He was inordinately proud of his 21 years of service in the Marine Corps.
He was very active in the USMCCCA and was San Diego County Chapter President from 1969 to 1972; San Diego Annual Conference Chair in 1971; National President from 1972 to 1973; initial recipient of the Donald L. Dickson Memorial Award in 1975; Executive Director from 1988 to 1993; and San Diego County Chapter Treasurer from 1996 to 2007.
Immediately after retirement, he joined Bob Morrisey’s public relations and advertising department at Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical as Chief of the Press Bureau for the Electronic and Space Systems Division. He covered the last three Apollo missions from NASA’s headquarters in Houston and was present at Cape Canaveral for the after-midnight blast-off of Apollo 17 in December 1972. In March 1973, he joined Jack Lewis’ Gallant/Charger Publications where he served as production editor for the firm’s outdoor magazines, annuals, and books. His book “Skin and Scuba Diver’s Digest” was published in 1975. In 1979, he started a small publishing venture, Marketing Professionals, Inc., along with Jim Di Bernardo, and later operated his own bookkeeping and tax business until 2006.
He greatly enjoyed retirement and was an avid golfer, tennis player, hiker, kayaker, and traveler. The Eastern Sierras, Maui, Canada, and New Zealand, were among his favorite destinations. He was extremely compassionate, funny, smart and above all a family man, who loved, and was dearly loved by, his family.
Services to be held at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on November 12th at 2:30 p.m.