Robert Leon Stern, of Washington, died peacefully on Dec. 5. He was 92. Bob was born in Munich, Germany, on Jan. 9, 1928, to Frederic and Alice Stern. After attending schools all over Europe, the Sterns left Germany in September 1939, going to New York City. Bob graduated from Bronx High School of Science in 1945 and from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1948. In 1950, he was recruited by the Army to work in the Utah desert with scientists studying the effects of chemical, biological and radiological weapons, which were never used.
After being discharged, Bob helped open the San Francisco office of Arthur D. Little, a management consulting firm. There, he met and married his wife, Virginia, a Stanford University graduate. In 1962, the Kennedy/Johnson Administration recruited him to work for the Commerce Department in Washington. Among his responsibilities was to coordinate the opening of the new National Bureau of Standards facility in Gaithersburg. In another post, he served at the National Academy of Engineering. After a stint working for the chief scientist of Xerox Corporation in Stamford, Conn., Bob returned to Washington in 1975, where he would stay for the rest of his life.
Bob was, and Jinny continues to be, a longtime member of Temple Sinai. In the 1990s, Bob volunteered as a middle school science teacher at the KIPP Key Academy.
With his wife, he founded the Northwest Neighbors Village for senior citizens, the first organization of its kind in Washington.
He is survived by his wife of nearly 65 years, Jinny; his four children, Adam (Tia Rich) and Mark (Carolyn) Stern, Ami S. (Jonathan) Gordon and Rachel S. (Derek) Davis; and seven grandchildren, Sasha, Max, Zachary, Abby, Grace, Anna and Charlie.
Donations can be made to kippdc.org/donate in memory of: “Bob Stern, volunteer at KIPP DC KEY Academy-Benning Road SE Campus.”
