John Robert Dunn ~ Our Cosmopolitan Engineer

Born on the seventh of August, 1929, John Robert Dunn was named after his father. The latter went by “Jack” but the son was called Bob by most, Bobby by his family and Robert by his neighbors. Four generations of his mother’s family resided in a house his grandfather designed and built, in Verona — a few miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bob was thrilled to be given a Gilbert’s Chemistry Set when he was a child. He soon was steeped in curiosity and books about that science and “Uncle Al” (his grandfather) made a laboratory space for his experiments. This forged activity that came way too close to burning down the house. Nonetheless, this mishap did nothing to inhibit Bob’s love of science and, later, engineering. At age eighteen Bob was enrolled in Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University). Before he could finish the first semester he was drafted, The U.S. Army taught him electronics, which gave him skills that served him well with later endeavors. Subsequently he returned to CIT where he studied chemical engineering, going from there to several years with Gulf Oil Corporation. Gulf sent him across the United States and also abroad, fueling his interest in traveling far and wide. Bob then left Gulf to explore much of Europe — including a ride on The Orient Express from Russia to Western Europe. Once back in the U.S., Bob drove across the country and settled in San Francisco, supporting himself with temporary office work, reserving summers for research exploration of caves in Grand Canyon National Park, with George Beck.Jack Dunn unfortunately experienced heart failure and became unable to take care of his wife and daughter. Bob returned to the house his father had built in Penn Hills and assessed the situation — realizing he was needed to assume family responsibilities. Longtime friend Vic Schmidt arranged for his employment in University of Pittsburgh’s geophysics laboratory. That job eventually moved with Mike Fuller to UCSB and concluded with the designation of Emeritus. Bob had purchased a house and moved his family to Goleta and there pursued numerous matters, including conservation, indigenous plants, vegetarian dining and raising California tree frogs. The last of these did not delight his neighbors but the wee brown creatures did respond endearingly to their protector. About two years ago, it became apparent that Bob’s intellectual prowess was being eroded by by forgetfulness. Neighbors and other friends stepped up to see him comfortable and secure as was possible. He died in his sleep, at home, surrounded and loved by his caretakers , friends and neighbors We carry memories of those adventures close to heart and treasure all who have shared our time with him. Marjorie L. Schmidt