Mr Robert L. Mclaughlin

Obituary with photo for Mr. Robert L. McLaughlin - WWII Navy Veteran, World Traveler Robert L. McLaughlin, born November 2, 1917, passed away on February 5, 2012. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, he was the son of William Ramsey McLaughlin and Hildegard Kelin McLaughlin. He enjoyed the unique pleasure of being an identical twin, sharing birth with a brother named Walter Sheakley McLaughlin, who passed away in 1996. Walter was a Master Sergeant in WWII. Other family members were: Colonel William Benedict McLaughlin, MD., U.S. Army Medical Corps, WWII; Lt. Col. Harry Richard McLaughlin, U.S. Army Infantry, WWII; Chester Samuel McLaughlin; and Jean Elizabeth McLaughlin Masur; all deceased. Following WWII, McLaughlin retired from the U.S. Navy as Lt. Senior Grade. He was 94. Mr. McLaughlin is survived by a niece, Mary McLaughlin Vejar of Herndon, VA also nephews William Richard McLaughlin of San Dimas, CA, Wayne Masur of Weston, FL; David McLaughlin of Vienna, VA and Alan McLaughlin of Saunderstown, RI. Graduating from Oliver High School in Pittsburgh 1936, he received a bachelor's degree in textiles from North Carolina State University in May 1942. In his freshman year, he joined the staff of the University humor magazine, the Watangan. In his junior year, Mr. McLaughlin was tapped and invited to the phi Psi honorary professional textile fraternity. He was also an elected officer in Tompkins Textile Society and appointed editor of the 'Textile Forum' magazine. The Publication Board of the University extended a membership to Bob to acknowledge a new campus entry. Combat Bound to the South Pacific Before the end of May 1942, he chose to join the US Navy. After Acceptance, he immediately was sent to the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. Bob next attended gunnery school aboard the battleship USSWyoming out of Norfolk, VA for study on internal and external ballistics of guns. He was informed that his final destination would be Amphibious Force, South Pacific Theater as a gunfire liaison officer attached to our invading troops to direct naval gunfire for support from a shore position. Arriving at the French island of New Caledonia located northeast of Australia, he was assigned assistant gunnery officer on the attack ship USS Fomalhaut. Mr. McLaughlin was now under the overall command of Vice Admiral Wm. Halsey, commander of the third fleet, South Pacific. He was next ordered to Halsey's Amphibious Force headquarters at Camp Crocodile on Guadalcanal, commanded by REar Admiral Turner. Bob participated in eight combat operations. Post Graduate Education The U.S. Navy sponsored many courses at New York University, The Fashion Institute of Technology, The New University and Columbia University, all of New York City. After the war, he went for two semesters to Queen's College of Cambridge University in Cambridgeshire, England. After the war, Bob attended the Rhode Island School of Design for two years to study textile printing, dyestuff, color and design. His educational background amassed considerable credits, totaling 23 years of formal education. He was employed by the US Navy Clothing and Textile Facility in Brooklyn, NY where he remained for 17 years. His position evolved into supervisor of the physical testing laboratory, followed by a few years in research and development, and the chemical lab. About this time, he received a delayed Naval Unit Citation Award from the Navy Bureau of Personnel for combat bravery during the invasion of Guam, a few years prior. World Travels Bob left Navy employment to explore a new professional when he joined Mannington Mills of Salem, NJ as a floor covering designer. He stayed for 16 years, satisfied with his varied experience, then retired from Mannington in 1983 to a little more fishing and world travel. He has been to the southern tip of SouthAmerica, crossed the Arctic Circle north of Iceland, fished the high lakes region of the Andes Mountains in Chile, the Amazon region and the Orinoco. Bob traveled extensively, visiting Nairobi in Kenya, Norfolk Island belonging to Australia (origin of the Norfolk Pine), the Himalayas, Katmandu and Nepal in India, Addis Abiba in Ethiopia, Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles Islands, where at teh church every hour is run twice in succession, the interior and Port Moresby, the capital of Papua, New Guinea, all of South America except Ecuador, all of Central America, including Amergris Caye where he fished many times, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and extensively in Russia's cities, rivers and countryside. Family services were held privately in Rhode Island. For online condolences and shared memories please go to www.sansonefuneralhome.com

Service Information A service summary is not available