Major Robert Love Brickner passed on March 18, 2021 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was 86 years old. Born in Springfield, Illinois in 1934, he moved to Clinton, Oklahoma when his father, also a civil engineer, was transferred to the navy base there during World War 2. He graduated from Clinton High School in 1950, VMI class of 1956 and Stanford University (Masters in Civil Engineering) in 1966.
He used to talk about his life as a matter of thirds.
- The first third was his early education and military training. After VMI he served as a field artillery officer in Germany at the height of the cold war. He used to talk about commanding the Army's first atomic cannon that could be used if necessary, to slow a Soviet advance.
- The second part of his life started with completion of a MS in Civil Engineering at Stanford University in 1966 which propelled him to years of consulting work in southeast Asia. He ultimately became a senior consulting engineer on major international projects, all of which were worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
- The third part of his life was more philanthropic. Since education was so important to him, he established many scholarships around the world primarily to help underprivileged students attend college. He has several VMI scholarships even today. Robert was not only generous with his money, but with his time as well. He mentored many individuals throughout his life; most of these recipients will never be known.
Robert believed in the whole person - mind, body and soul. He had a daily exercise routine and participated in numerous marathons and races well into his 80s. He was also very active in the Catholic church in Tulsa.
He is survived by his five daughters - Carol, Mary, Susan, Caroline and Diane. He is also survived by his nephews/niece whom he helped raise when their father passed away at a young age of 39. They include Jeffrey, David and Anne.
Personally, he was very generous; professionally he reached the top of this field. He never forgot the importance of education, training, discipline and leadership that he learned as an Army officer and civil engineer.