This is really very sad news.
Bob was one of the reasons that I joined the UMD ECE Department back in 1973.
He was a great person, close friend, mentor and collaborator to me, since I joined.
I still remember fondly the group discussions we had with students on the relationships between network theory, systems and control theory.
I am very deeply saddened.
He will be missed by many.
May his memory be eternal.

I am deeply saddened at this news. It is a huge loss to the department, the circuit and system community, and more importantly, to his family.
  
Bob was one of the very first faculty members I got to know in Maryland. I used to pick up a copy of The Diamondback at the lobby of A.V. Williams. That was where Bob and I bumped into each other frequently. He always had some extra copies. I still remember meeting him in the corridor in the morning and being offered "The Diamondback?" And that was how our brief conversations and so many happy days started.  

My academic interaction with Bob was mainly through serving the student thesis committees. I was really impressed by his broad knowledge and his dedication to student thesis and presentation as such a senior colleague. Students love Bob, respect him, and say Bob was nice and always ready to help. These words from the students mean so much to educators and Bob would be pleased to hear them.   
 
Bob was a role model and I will miss him very much

Bob was a great scholar-teacher who has left a legacy in technology and extraordinary commitment to students.  He mentored many distinguished alumni who themselves gave back to the University.  His contribution in circuit theory that bears his name is still in use after nearly 60 years.  He guided undergraduate  student projects that were dedicated to human wellbeing. 

Bob was a very kind and gentle colleague. He remained humble and soft-spoken despite his extraordinary contributions and the  acclaim of his peers. He is an exemplary model for me and his life’s legacy will be remembered and honored for a long time.

Please accept heartfelt condolences from me on this grievous loss. I have been in the ECE Department since 1980 as a faculty member, and have appreciated the many contributions your father made in my field of system theory. I recall him as a gentle presence and I choose to remember him through his own words (in the attached document) on the origins of one of his best known works, which influenced me.

Dear Gail:

You’ll probably remember me, as the student your Dad brought to Stanford from Australia. 

I learnt yesterday that he had passed away. First, let me express my deepest condolences to you, and through you to your mother Sally. Losing a parent is very difficult. I do hope Bob’s final days were peaceful for him and for you, his family. I hope too that the immediate sense of grieving will be taken over soon by the happy memories of the many years you were able to be close to him.

Bob made an immense difference to my life. He was the figure who was the most influential on my professional career.  He brought all his lovely human qualities of kindness and respect for others to his professional work, which was inspiring by virtue of his excellence. What he specifically taught me standards of research excellence as well as the right way to be a supervisor of people.  And outside of the work environment, he and your mother were so kind in often having me over to dinner, and allowing some fun with Beethoven cello and piano sonatas. 

I was so glad that my wife had the chance to meet him more than once. He honoured me by attending a 50th birthday symposium  I had in Australia, not long after long after you lost your brother Rob. 

She joins with me in expressing our heartfelt sympathy to you, Sally and other members of your family 

Sincerely

Brian

Over the years I had many interactions with him, sometime in the hallways of the department, other times, in the mail room, during committee meetings, during our rides to a local restaurant usually in his car but sometimes in mine, during long lunch meetings when we would discuss research papers he would bring to our meetings, and more recently during my visits to his home at Riderwood Senior Living Complex, where he always greeted me with his glowing and warm personality, while we worked on his life story project. Bob has been a great influence on me both professionally and  personally as I’m sure to many others in the department as well. He was a one-of-kind person always having the best interest of his colleagues and friends. His words of encouragement whenever I asked for his input still ring in my ears. “For sure, for sure!”

To the memory of my friend Bob
I got to know Bob in 1967, when he visited Leuven University in 
Belgium as an invited Professor on sabbatical while I was a Teaching Assistant there. We connected immediately. This event also had a determining influence on my further professional life. 
Bob also became my Ph.D. mentor and thesis advisor; we stayed friends for the rest of our lives and had regular contacts throughout, for which I am very grateful -- I shall miss him dearly.
Bob's interests were not restricted to scientific issues. Bob was a keen theoretician with a great desire for practical implementations. 
He had also cultural interests. He was, in particular, a great knower and admirer of Spanish poetry. He propagated this expertise via his manifold publications, often using poems to enliven them, to entertain his students with readings, even providing original translations and interpretations.
But Bob's most obvious quality was, besides his contagious enthusiasm, his human warmth. In a way, Bob was too good for a rough competitive world, but his list of accomplishments is impressive. Let me mention: the large number of students and collaborators he motivated, the many, often very original projects he conceived and managed, the large number of his publications and his great educational efforts. A full life, lived with great consideration and sympathy for others.
Bob and Sally were also wonderful hosts, especially for foreign students. When I moved from Leuven to Stanford, in the summer of 1968, in order to pursue my doctorate, I had the pleasure of staying in their house in down-town Palo Alto to get accommodated to the for me totally strange environment of the United States. 
With Prof. R.W. Newcomb passing away, one of the towering scientists and technologists in the area of Electrical Circuits and Systems leaves us. I am immensely grateful to have known him, to enjoy his enduring friendship, and for all the accomplishments he enriched our world with.
Patrick Dew

From Cololnial Williamsburg, my colleagues and I are grateful to share the attached photos.  We are thankful for our time with Bob and Sally and for their meaningful support.  Please know that you and your family are in our thoughts.
Very best wishes,
Andrew Barry

Bob was an eminent scholar and pioneer in microelectronics and analog integrated circuits and systems.  Above all he was a dear friend, always kind and ready to serve the community, generously helping others succeed.  We miss him but he lives on in our hearts!

I feel honored to have had Dr. Newcomb as my PhD advisor and would like to share some memories of him that reflect his dedication and kindness.
For most of my PhD, I was working while studying and could only meet with him on weekends. Every week, Dr. Newcomb made the effort to come to campus on Sundays to guide me. His consistency and commitment meant a great deal to me as it was only through those weekly meetings that I could have continued and completed my studies.
There were many small details that showed what a remarkable person Dr. Newcomb truly was. For example, his office was a place I will always remember. Though small, it was filled with bookshelves, making it one of the most book-filled offices I have ever seen.  Yet he still was incredibly organized and could locate things instantly. I remember once he easily found a physiology book for me within seconds.  This same meticulousness was evident in his emails. Always including the full date in the subject line and organizing his files by year and month, his attention to detail reflected the same way he approached his work and mentorship.
Additionally, Dr. Newcomb was very patient and supportive of his students. He would personally accompany international students to the department office, helping us navigate university policies and paperwork. It was clear that his care went far beyond academics. He truly looked out for his students.
His dedication also showed during my dissertation. Dr. Newcomb always responded quickly with detailed feedback. Many times, I would send him a draft in the morning, and by early afternoon he had already reviewed it. My drafts would come back covered with his handwritten comments, including thoughtful suggestions, careful edits, and even detailed explanations of English phrasing, helping me grow as both a researcher and a writer.
Dr. Newcomb was an exceptional mentor: patient, devoted, and deeply generous. I will always remember his guidance and kindness with gratitude.

I will sorely miss Bob.  He always inspired me to be more patient and to slow down to enjoy the interaction with students.  We shared a love of how biology has always inspired engineering and talked about this whenever we met.  When my kids were toddlers we regularly went for outings at Brookside Gardens and we would run into him and his wife more than anyone else I knew. While I know that he was world famous and leaves behind a huge legacy of students and work, I will miss our simple conversations about the link between biology and computation.
-Timmer Horiuchi

My heart is with you and the family, Sally. I wish I could attend the celebration of life, but I cannot. Bob will live in my memory for his warmth and for how closely he listened. He touched many lives, especially as a teacher and mentor.

OBITUARY

Robert W Newcomb

June 27, 1933 – April 18, 2026

Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services