Robert E. Armstrong
Encyclopedia
Robert E Armstrong was a former mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana
, former councilman of Allen County, Indiana
and former athletic director of Snider High School
.
where he received a B.S. in Education and Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1949 and a M.S. in Administration in 1954. At Indiana, he was a member of the Sigma Nu
Fraternity and played and lettered on both the varsity basketball and football teams, and continued as a life member of the Indiana University Alumni Association as well as the Indiana University Varsity Club and I-Mens Association.
Armstrong also completed Post Graduate Coursework at Purdue University
; Harvard Leadership Institutes; University of California
; University of Saint Francis
; Indiana-Purdue Universities; Indiana State University
.
when the war ended, cutting his military service short. Bob was an active member of his local American Legion
Post 47 throughout his life.
. A large focus of his tenure was improving the city's budget. According to a 2000 News-Sentinel article, "[Armstrong] took a 'pile of studies' on downtown revitalization that languished on shelves and put them to use."
Bob Armstrong had been a candidate for Fort Wayne City Council in the 1971 municipal election.
Since his time as Mayor, Bob Armstrong had held other elected positions throughout Fort Wayne and Allen County. Beginning in 1990, Bob represented the Second district on the Allen County Council. He held this position for 12 years and served as President from 1996 to 1998. In 2002, he and three other council members (including Bob's good friend Bill Schnizer) lost reelection in 2002 to a slate of younger candidates.
Armstrong was elected to be one of the State of Indiana's thirteen Presidential Electors and cast vote for Ronald Reagan on December 15, 1980 in the presidential election
.
in 1980 on behalf of Republican candidates Ronald Reagan
(President), Robert Orr
(Governor), Dan Quayle
(Senator), and Dan Coats
(Congressman).
and The Journal Gazette to inform the public of these differences, the confusion has persisted. In 2008, Robert A. Armstrong won nomination as a Republican candidate for an at-large position on the Allen County Council despite having not spent a single dollar on his campaign.
from 1964-1991, with the exception of the time he was mayor. Before this he was an educator at Boswell High School in Boswell, Indiana
, Washington Junior High School in Fort Wayne, and Central High School in Fort Wayne.
As Snider athletic director, Armstrong was a founding member of the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and was president of the organization for the 1969-1970 school year.
At Snider, Armstrong was responsible for directing and managing all athletic programs, budget and personnel, as well as the physical plant, priority use and planning, certification and registration for athletes and officials. He was additionally responsible for handling all public relations for Snider, and was a guidance counselor.
In 1992, the Robert E. Armstrong Scholarship was established at R. Nelson Snider High School. A scholarship is awarded each year to an outstanding scholar-athlete to further their college education. 17 Scholarships have been awarded to date, providing assistance to these students in the furtherance of their education.
Armstrong was a member of Trinity English Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, where he served as a long time Deacon and usher.
As a member of the Allen County Board of Library Trustees, Armstrong was involved in the construction a new main branch library. He resigned from this position in spring of 2008. At the April 24, 2008 meeting, the Allen County Board of Library Trustees passed Resolution No. 2008-5, “Resolution Honoring Robert E. Armstrong for Distinguished Service to the Library and the Community.”
Armstrong also was a member or participant in numerous other community organizations including: American Legion Post 47; Fort Wayne American Red Cross Board (recipient of the Volunteer Red Cross Recognition Award); Fort Wayne Historical Society; Fort Wayne Urban League; Fort Wayne Zoological Society (charter member);Fort Wayne Administrative Association (past president); Allen County Republican Luncheon Club; and several Chamber of Commerce committees.
and has three children (Lincoln, Ross and Colleen); Douglas (wife Peggy) has two daughters (Meghan and Elizabeth); and David works with the Indiana Department of Transportation overseeing Federal funding for Local Governmental Agencies.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, former councilman of Allen County, Indiana
Allen County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 331,849 people, 128,745 households, and 86,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 505 people per square mile . There were 138,905 housing units at an average density of 211 per square mile...
and former athletic director of Snider High School
R. Nelson Snider High School
R. Nelson Snider High School is a secondary school in the Fort Wayne Community Schools system, serving the north central and northeast neighborhoods of Fort Wayne, Indiana.- History :...
.
Education
Mayor Bob Armstrong was a graduate of Fort Wayne's Central High School (closed 1971) where he played on the State Championship Basketball Team in 1943. He attended Indiana UniversityIndiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
where he received a B.S. in Education and Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1949 and a M.S. in Administration in 1954. At Indiana, he was a member of the Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...
Fraternity and played and lettered on both the varsity basketball and football teams, and continued as a life member of the Indiana University Alumni Association as well as the Indiana University Varsity Club and I-Mens Association.
Armstrong also completed Post Graduate Coursework at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
; Harvard Leadership Institutes; University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
; University of Saint Francis
University of Saint Francis (Indiana)
The University of Saint Francis is a liberal arts university located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, the university promotes Catholic and Franciscan values...
; Indiana-Purdue Universities; Indiana State University
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
.
Military
From 1944-1945, Armstrong served in the United States Army Air Forces. He was training to be a pilot to fight in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when the war ended, cutting his military service short. Bob was an active member of his local American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
Post 47 throughout his life.
Political career
Mayor Armstrong defeated Democratic incumbent Mayor Ivan Lebamoff in 1975 in a tight 27,145 to 26,761 victory. Armstrong helped Fort Wayne become a sister city with Takaoka, JapanTakaoka, Toyama
is a city situated in the northwest of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, and is the central city of its Western District. Takaoka covers the 8th largest surface area in Toyama prefecture and has the second largest population after Toyama City...
. A large focus of his tenure was improving the city's budget. According to a 2000 News-Sentinel article, "[Armstrong] took a 'pile of studies' on downtown revitalization that languished on shelves and put them to use."
Bob Armstrong had been a candidate for Fort Wayne City Council in the 1971 municipal election.
Since his time as Mayor, Bob Armstrong had held other elected positions throughout Fort Wayne and Allen County. Beginning in 1990, Bob represented the Second district on the Allen County Council. He held this position for 12 years and served as President from 1996 to 1998. In 2002, he and three other council members (including Bob's good friend Bill Schnizer) lost reelection in 2002 to a slate of younger candidates.
Armstrong was elected to be one of the State of Indiana's thirteen Presidential Electors and cast vote for Ronald Reagan on December 15, 1980 in the presidential election
United States presidential election, 1980
The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent...
.
Republican involvement
Starting in 1958, Armstrong was elected to serve as a delegate to the State Republican Conventions. Armstrong also served on the Indiana State Education Committee for Ronald Reagan's re-election, and was a political analyst on WANE-TVWANE-TV
WANE-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Northern Indiana licensed to Fort Wayne. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 31 from a transmitter at studios on West State Boulevard in Northwest Fort Wayne/Tower Heights section of the city. The station can also be...
in 1980 on behalf of Republican candidates Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
(President), Robert Orr
Robert Orr
Robert Orr may refer to:* Bobby Orr , Canadian hockey player* Bobby Orr , jazz drummer* Robert Orr , American businessman in Japan, President of Boeing Japan, Vice President of Motorola...
(Governor), Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle
James Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....
(Senator), and Dan Coats
Dan Coats
Daniel Ray "Dan" Coats is the junior United States Senator from Indiana and member of the Republican Party. He was in the United States Senate from from 1989 to 1999, retired, and then returned in 2011....
(Congressman).
Name confusion
Residents of Fort Wayne have continually confused former mayor Robert E. Armstrong with another local, Robert A. Armstrong. The Robert Armstrong name recognition allowed Robert A. Armstrong to win a spot in the 2002 Fort Wayne Community School Board election, despite having spent zero money campaigning and his absence of any related experience. Despite attempts of local newspapers The News-SentinelThe News-Sentinel
The News-Sentinel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The afternoon News-Sentinel is politically independent.-Early history:...
and The Journal Gazette to inform the public of these differences, the confusion has persisted. In 2008, Robert A. Armstrong won nomination as a Republican candidate for an at-large position on the Allen County Council despite having not spent a single dollar on his campaign.
Education career
Armstrong served as athletic director and school administrator at Snider High SchoolR. Nelson Snider High School
R. Nelson Snider High School is a secondary school in the Fort Wayne Community Schools system, serving the north central and northeast neighborhoods of Fort Wayne, Indiana.- History :...
from 1964-1991, with the exception of the time he was mayor. Before this he was an educator at Boswell High School in Boswell, Indiana
Boswell, Indiana
Boswell is a town in Grant Township, Benton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 778 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Washington Junior High School in Fort Wayne, and Central High School in Fort Wayne.
As Snider athletic director, Armstrong was a founding member of the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and was president of the organization for the 1969-1970 school year.
At Snider, Armstrong was responsible for directing and managing all athletic programs, budget and personnel, as well as the physical plant, priority use and planning, certification and registration for athletes and officials. He was additionally responsible for handling all public relations for Snider, and was a guidance counselor.
In 1992, the Robert E. Armstrong Scholarship was established at R. Nelson Snider High School. A scholarship is awarded each year to an outstanding scholar-athlete to further their college education. 17 Scholarships have been awarded to date, providing assistance to these students in the furtherance of their education.
Community involvement
Armstrong began the Fort Wayne tradition of neighborhood summer swim clubs with the establishment of Pocahontas Swimming & Tennis Club in 1959. From 1959 to 1973, Armstrong managed and coached the swim teams at Pocahontas Swimming & Tennis Club and Lake Forest Swimming & Tennis Club. Under his coaching, Pocahontas went undefeated for 7 years and Lake Forest went undefeated for 3 years.Armstrong was a member of Trinity English Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, where he served as a long time Deacon and usher.
As a member of the Allen County Board of Library Trustees, Armstrong was involved in the construction a new main branch library. He resigned from this position in spring of 2008. At the April 24, 2008 meeting, the Allen County Board of Library Trustees passed Resolution No. 2008-5, “Resolution Honoring Robert E. Armstrong for Distinguished Service to the Library and the Community.”
Armstrong also was a member or participant in numerous other community organizations including: American Legion Post 47; Fort Wayne American Red Cross Board (recipient of the Volunteer Red Cross Recognition Award); Fort Wayne Historical Society; Fort Wayne Urban League; Fort Wayne Zoological Society (charter member);Fort Wayne Administrative Association (past president); Allen County Republican Luncheon Club; and several Chamber of Commerce committees.
Family
Bob Armstrong was married to wife, Nila on September 9, 1948. Nila was a kindergarten teacher in the Fort Wayne Community Schools and was actively involved in Bob's political endeavors. The couple have three sons, Daniel, Douglas, and David and five grandchildren. Daniel (spouse Linda) is the "Robert A. Welch" Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
and has three children (Lincoln, Ross and Colleen); Douglas (wife Peggy) has two daughters (Meghan and Elizabeth); and David works with the Indiana Department of Transportation overseeing Federal funding for Local Governmental Agencies.