Robert “Bob” Lee Bender, Jr., 75, died Tuesday at his residence after a ten month battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Robert “Bob” L. Bender, Sr., and Margaret Burnette Bender of Chattanooga, TN.
Bob is survived by his wife of 37 years, Karen Reynolds Bender, a son, Travis Scott Bender (Krista) of Birmingham, AL; a daughter, Leigh Ann Bender of Meridianville, AL; two granddaughters, Sterling Bender and Scout Bender of Meridianville, AL; two sisters; Betsy Groh (Don Butler) of Chattanooga, TN and Barbara Howard (Ed) of Chattanooga, TN; and several nieces and nephews.
Mr. Bender was born in Chattanooga, TN, but moved to the Huntsville area in 1962 after graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Once in Huntsville, he was involved in launch vehicle, missile, and spacecraft aerothermodynamic research and development for over 49 years. His principal focus was flowfield analysis, aerothermal environment definition, and thermal protection system design. He was a recognized expert in plume induced environments having authored over 350 company reports and eight papers related to model and flight environment analyses. He was the author of the definitive papers on Saturn and Shuttle base heating, developed the industry standard handbooks on base heating, and was the editor of the JANNAF Handbook on Base Flows and Handbook on Plume Contamination. Mr. Bender completed his undergraduate and graduate study at Georgia Tech and completed other graduate studies at the University of Alabama at Huntsville, the University of Tennessee Space Institute, and the University of California at Los Angeles. Mr. Bender held a number of supervisory and management positions over the past thirty years at the Boeing Company, Northrop Corporation, and REMTECH Corporation where he was Executive Vice-President. He retired in 2011 as a Technical Fellow and Senior Program Manager for Qualis Corporation in Huntsville, Alabama assigned to the Jacobs ESTS contract.
Mr. Bender had extensive, hands-on experience with all U.S. launch vehicle programs including the NASA Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, and Ares I and V; as well as the Atlas, Titan, and Delta Department of Defense vehicles. He participated in a number of other launch vehicle studies over the years including Saturn and Shuttle Derived vehicles, ALS, NLS, and other Heavy Lift studies, and was a consultant for the International Space Station. He participated as a Subject Matter Expert and Technical Discipline Specialist for NASA in the Aerothermodynamic Environments and Thermal Analysis disciplines for 2nd Generation and Reuseable Launch Vehicles studies.
Mr. Bender was an avid sports fan and enjoyed spending time with his family, including his three cats Bubba, Ellie, and Fergie. A member of Mayfair Church of Christ, he also enjoyed connecting with his church family and serving others.
The family wishes to thank the staffs at Clearview Cancer Institute and Hospice Family Services for their devoted care and assistance.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, at Laughlin Service Funeral Home, Huntsville, AL, and also one hour before the service. The funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m., Friday, in the funeral home chapel with Dr. Gary Bradley officiating.
Memorial gifts may be made to the American Cancer Society.
