Robert Leigh Tate

Brigadier General Robert Leigh Tate (better known as Bob), of Noblesville, passed away on March 23, 2024 leaving his loving wife of 69 years, Mary Frances (Stone) Tate and their son. Robert Edmund Tate, his wife, Elizabeth (Zarate) Tate and their son, Benjamin Joseph Tate. Bob was preceded in death by his and Mary’s daughter, Mary Lynn "Chris” Tate.

Bob was 90 years old having been born February 13, 1934 in Providence, Rhode Island, to Benjamin and Ruth (Young) Tate  When he was eleven, he moved with his parents to California where Bob later graduated from San Diego State College with an engineering BS simultaneously with receiving his commission of Second Lieutenant on the Air Force.

BIOGRAPHY:

My husband, Brigadier General Robert Leigh Tate, was an extremely intelligent and accomplished man.  He was capable of serving the military and contributing to civilian work simultaneously.

While in (Chula Vista) High School in CA, he started his military connection via Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC).  He then continued with ROTC throughout his college years (1951 to 1956) at San Diego State College in CA where he graduated with a BS in engineering and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve in the same ceremony.

He entered Active Duty in the Air Force, received his Navigator   Wings at Ellington AFB in 1956 continuing on to his Advanced Navigator, Reconnaissance, Bombardment training at Mather AFB.

In February of 1958 he was assigned to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) where he served on a B-47 crew at Mountain Home AFB - 5th Bomb Squadron, 9th Bomb Wing of SAC.  After his initial tour of duty, he returned to Reserve status the following January.

In 1970 Bob was assigned as the individual mobilization augmentee to the Directorate of Aerospace Studies, a field directive of the deputy chief of staff, plans and programs, Air Force System Command.   There, Bob served as a study director for several Reserve-staff mission support efforts, including the anti-armor study.  From 1982 to 1984 he was the senior reservist.

In 1984 Bob became the mobilization assistant to the deputy chief of staff, plans and programs, Air Force System Command; and in 1987 Bob became the assistant to the deputy chief of staff, product, assurance and acquisition logistics.. One year later he was assigned as mobilization assistant to the deputy chief of staff, systems, Air Force System Command.    

In the mid 1980's, he was selected to establish the office of the Interim Chief Engineer, AFSC at Andrews AFB and served in that capacity for approximately two years.

He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1989 and retired from the Air Force in 1994.

Concurrent with his Reserve assignments, Bob was also a civilian with several engineering and technical companies.  Then he eventually founded and led our own company, Planning Systems and Sciences.  During that time, we were the system support contractor for Hughes Helicopters for the Apache - AAH-64 - attack helicopter.  We also provided cost analysis studies to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

After serving his two week reserve duty at Kirtland AFB over several years, the job was turned into a civil service position.  So it was at this time that Bob entered civil service .

Bob later joined the faculty of the Defense System Management College at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he taught classes, directed courses and eventually ran the Executive Management Department.

Bob’s last Defense System Management College assignment was as the Director of the Western Regional Office at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in CA. 

In 2001, Bob retired from the workforce.

While still living in Irvine, CA, Bob worked with the Veterans History Project connected to the Library of Congress.  He also sent his own history to the Library of Congress at that time.

We moved here to Noblesville, Indiana in 2004 to live close by to our son, Robert, and his wife, Elizabeth, and our one and only grandchild, Ben (who is now an adult).

Bob led a very full and important life, and our family dearly loved him - as well as being very proud of him.

Visitation will be from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, with funeral services at 3:00 pm, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at Randall & Roberts Funeral Center, 1685 Westfield Road, in Noblesville.  Graveside services will be held at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at Crown Hill Cemetery, 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis.

Condolences:  www.randallroberts.com