A Fond Farewell to Our Friend and Colleague Robert (Bob) G. Fichenberg

Robert (Bob) G. Fichenberg

AS THEY SAY, timing is everything, and so in May 1991 when NDAA sought to hire a writer who had outstanding skills and credentials, little did we know that our timing could not have been better. Robert G. Fichenberg -- "Bob" to us -- had recently retired as the Washington bureau chief for Newhouse Newspapers. Bob did not want to sit back and relax after his retirement -- he wanted a new challenge. It was a good match and Bob began his new career as a writer for NDAA.

Now, here was a man who was overqualified for the job. He began his career in journalism in Saranac Lake, New York, as a reporter and editor with the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. His next job was at the Binghamton Press in New York, where he rose to the position of assistant city editor. If this was not enough of a challenge, he was also a radio and TV newscaster at a local station with an affiliation to the newspaper. Bob moved to Albany in 1957 where he became executive editor of the afternoon newspaper at the Knickerbocker News. He was nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize for his editorial commentaries. One of the entries was a finalist. Bob moved to Washington, D.C. in 1978 to assume the position of bureau chief for Newhouse Newspapers until he retired in early 1991.

Before Bob began his career in journalism, he attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University's school of journalism in 1940. He was also a veteran of World War II and the Korean War where he served in the Army Signal Corps. Interestingly, Bob was the cryptographic officer on duty in the army code room in France when, on May 7, 1945, he decoded and relayed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's classified message to army commanders in France. This message notified them that the German high command would surrender and all military operations would stop at 12:01 A.M. on May 9. Bob treasured this teletype message, which he kept as a souvenir. He logged in a duplicate. Ultimately, Bob donated this important piece of history to the Virginia Military Institute Museum in Lexington, Virginia.

Bob explored the world and its people and literature for information. It seemed as if learning and acquiring new knowledge was essential to his existence -- he couldn't get enough of it. In his desire to serve NDAA with excellence as its new writer he took a number of legal assistant courses so he could better understand the challenges faced by America's state and local prosecutors.

Without doubt, Bob was one of the most interesting people you could ever meet. He was also kind, generous and overflowing with knowledge and experience. You could talk to him for hours and walk away appreciating the fact that you learned something new. He had a zest for life and laughter and had a knack for making people smile and feel good about themselves. And, you were always acutely aware that during your conversations with Bob, he was seeking knowledge from you as well.

Sadly, Bob passed away on June 4, 2005, at the age of 85. He is survived by Ruth, his wife of 57 years; two daughters, Ann Lovett and Kathryn Bono; five grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. All of us at NDAA and those who knew him within its membership send our heartfelt sympathies to Bob's family. We, too, miss him and mourn his loss -- the office isn't quite the same without him.