Robert O. Meitz

Dr. Meitz was born in Oak Park, Illinois on August 18, 1934 to Helen Henke Meitz and Carl C Meitz, he passed away on January 19, 2016. His family moved to Superior, Arizona, when he was a youngster. His father worked for Magma Copper as a railroad engineer, and Bob went to school, delivered newspapers, worked in the assay office, and graduated from Superior High School in 1952.

He studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arizona, earning his BS in 1956. After a brief stint with General Electric in Erie, Pennsylvania, he was called to active duty in the Air Force. He served in the Air Force; working in engineering, testing, research and development, teaching, and contractor liaison, from 1956 until 1976, retiring as a Lt. Colonel. While serving, he studied for a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Mexico, and a Doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering from U of A.

After the Air Force, Bob worked for Unidynamics for 10 years, then returned to teaching with a short stint at Oregon Institute of Technology. He then began his third career in earnest; teaching Engineering at Arizona State University at the Tempe campus, and later the ASU Polytechnic campus until shortly before his death.

Bob had many jobs in his lifetime: delivering newspapers, assaying minerals, driving a hearse, fighting forest fires, building and calibrating smelter conveyors, engineering and testing systems for the Air Force and the space program, but his two great passions were teaching and civil rights.

He served in the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona for many years: as a board member continuously since 1982, as President of the Central Arizona Chapter, and as State Treasurer and Board President from 2006 to 2009.

Bob married June E Graton on April 14, 1956, and they had three daughters in quick succession: Jennifer Lynne, Julia Lea and Joanna Lou. Julia Meitz Hamil and Joanna Meitz Roe predeceased him, but he is survived by his wife, daughter Jennifer Meitz Smith, and grandchildren John Hamil of Colorado, Brian Hamil of St. Louis, Maxwell Roe of Oregon, and Katherine (Katie) Roe of Flagstaff, AZ.

Services will be at:

AL Moore-Grimshaw Mortuary

710 W Bethany Home Road

Phoenix, AZ

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Visitation at 6:00 pm

Service at 7:00 pm.

Inurnment will be at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, date yet to be determined.