Robert Shaw Stewart
Huntley & Huntley, Inc. (1948-1988)
Robert (Bob) S. Stewart was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 17, 1920. He was a graduate of Mount Lebanon high school. After high school, Bob enrolled at Princeton University, majoring in geological engineering, he graduated in 1941 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. Returning to Pittsburgh, Bob did his graduate work at The University of Pittsburgh. He focused his studies in chemical engineering, receiving a master's of science in 1943. In conjunction with his graduate studies, Bob was hired at Mellon Institute of Industrial Research as an Assistant Fellow. In his last few months at Mellon Institute, Bob was on special assignment with the U.S. Army in Indio, California. There he worked for the Desert Warfare Board as a technical observer for the Vapor Lock Test Group.
Upon completing his work for the U.S. Army in 1943, he served three years and eight months in the United States Naval Reserve. He was sent to study at both Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. There he focused on electronic engineering, spending a majority of his time in the M.I.T. Radiation Laboratories. Bob was a graduate of The Radar and Advanced Radar Schools. Upon graduation, Bob served as a Division Radar Officer in England for the Normandy Invasion. During his role as Division Radar Officer, he served for both, Escort Division Six, Atlantic Fleet and Escort Division Sixty-one, Pacific Fleet. Also during his time with the Navy, he was promoted to Chief Engineer. With this new promotion, Bob was given the responsibility of commanding vessels. In 1946, he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant Senior Grade and commanding officer of the USS Lough. Being awarded four battle stars and earning the European, Asiatic and American Theaters of Operations Ribbons, the Philippine Liberation Medal and lastly the Victory Medal, Bob was an accomplished and influential officer of the U.S. Navy.
For the next two years, Bob worked as an independent consultant for various companies, usually traveling outside of the United States to conduct his work. Most of his consulting included, geological work, overseeing construction of pipelines, engineering on drilling of wells and mining.
In June of 1948, Bob joined Huntley & Huntley, Inc. as Senior Engineer. Five months later, Bob was promoted to Vice President. In later years, due to his incredible knowledge of the petroleum industry along with his dedication to the company, Bob became President of Huntley & Huntley, Inc. Bob remained with the company for the next forty years. During Bob's regin, Huntley & Huntley's main focus continued to be consulting for various clients. The company continued to work with M.L. Benedum and Benedum Trees Oil Company, but also acquired new clientele cross the continental U.S. and over seas. Some of Huntley's clients throughout the later years were, Jones & Laughlin Steel Company, Bethlehem Steel, Keystone Dam Power Plant, P.P.G. and the Mellon family, just to name a few. Sadly, Bob passed away on October 8, 1988. He was survived by wife, Anita Bauman Stewart.
Through Bob's career he was involved with the following firms and/or societies: Holquien-Milagro Mining District, Brendel Producing Company, Natural Gas Operating Practices Committee, the Eastern District of the American Petroleum Institute, Pittsburgh Geological Society, American Geological Institute, Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania and Ohio Oil and Gas Association.
