In Memoriam
Colonel Robert S. Sumner, (Ret)
1921 - 2004
The Alamo Scout community is saddened by the passing of Colonel Robert S. Sumner, Director of the Alamo Scouts Association, on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2004. "Red" was the catalyst in creating and perpetuating the Association in 1980. Under his energetic and articulate direction, the Association thrived and grew to include more than 60 members. But more importantly, he was our friend. And we shall miss him.
SUMNER, Robert Stanley, 82, retired Colonel, U.S. Army, died Tuesday, August 3, 2004, in Tampa. Colonel Sumner was born November 15, 1921, in Portland, Ore., the son of Lester and Mary Sumner, both deceased. He was educated at Creston Grammar School and Franklin High School, graduating in the class of 1939. He attended Multnomah College 1939-41 and commissioned 2nd lieutenant in the Army Reserve. He was called to active duty in May 1942. He served behind enemy lines in the Southwest Pacific Theater in the Alamo Scouts, which have been documented in several books of World War II. He received his B.A. from the University of Tampa and M.A. from Niagara University, N.Y. During his 30-year Army career, Colonel Sumner commanded infantry units during the Korean War, in Southeast Asia and Germany and in the United States at Fort Carson, Colo., and Fort MacPherson, Ga., among others. The family moved to Tampa in 1961. He and his bride, now deceased 2nd Lt. Dorothy Bambick, Army Nurse Corps, met in Ky oto, Japan, in 1945 and were married at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 1947. After retirement from the Army, he was a faculty member of the University of Tampa for two years and then in private business for an additional 10 years, retiring again to take up a lifelong avocation with classic MG automobiles. He was a principle founder of the SunCoast Classic MG Club. Catholic Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Christ the King Catholic Church, 821 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, where he was a lector for many years. Internment will follow at Florida National Cemetery with military honors. He is survived by five children, Lester Sumner of New York City; Ann Rhine of Rohnert Park, Calif.; Robert Sumner of St. Petersburg, Fla.; Valerie Morales of Tampa; and Richard Sumner of Tampa; five grandchildren; and beloved companion DeDe Craig. The family deeply appreciates the cherished friendship and compassionate medical care of Dr. Vince Perron and Dr. Kathleen Leber. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Alamo Scouts Fund in care of:
Bill Littlefield
17216 Saticoy St., # 386
Van Nuys, CA 91406