Robert Keith Guthrie

After graduating from Oklahoma A&M in 1934 with a B. S. in Electrical Engineering, Bob worked in the Petroleum Engineering Department of the Bureau of Mines in Dallas, Texas from 1934-1942 and 1946-1948.

In 1942, Bob volunteered as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve and was sent to Harvard and MIT for electronics training. After teaching at MIT for a year, he worked with David Packard in Washington D. C. designing radar counter-measures. He supervised the design and installation of counter radar measures on several ships participating in the Normandy invasion including the Battle ship of Texas. At the time of the Japanese surrender he was on a ship heading toward the Pacific. He was honorably discharged form the USNR as a Lt. Commander in 1946.

Following the war, he returned to work for the Bureau of Mines. In April of 1948, after moving to San Antonio, he served as Field Chairman of the Seeligson Engineering Committee, responsible for the unitization of 13 major oil companies' interests. Following the completion of this assignment, he formed two companies: the Data Processing Center and R. K. Guthrie & Associates.

In 1958 Bob traveled to Saudi Arabia where he was consultant to the Aramco Oil Company on computerized automation of oil recovery and production. After returning, Bob was invited to present seminars at IBM Poughkeepsie, N. Y. for the benefit of petroleum engineers on the use of computers in the handling of oil production.

He organized the financial empire of the late Tom Slick, Jr. and used those same accounting/processing methods to become a South Texas computing pioneer after Slick died in 2++3. He opened Date Processing Center one of the first businesses of its kind in San Antonio. Since USAA was not yet using their computers 24 hours a day, Bob officed with them and leased their computers during the second and third shifts. Data Processing center assisted numerous San Antonio companies, including H. B. Zachry, Pearl Brewery and Lone Star breweries in their move into the computer era. After selling Data Process Center to the Frost Bank in the late 1960's, Bob worked in the medical field, assisting doctors and pathology laboratories with data processing automation.

Bob had a great love for hunting, fishing and traveling, and became very active in the Sierra Club, serving as president of the Lone star Chapter. He loved to tell a good story, and had many to share: exciting travel adventures, business opportunities and war experiences.

As a father, he instilled in his children a love of outdoors and great respect for the environment.

He was a member of the American Petroleum Institute API and American Association of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers AIMME, the San Antonio Petroleum Club and various data processing associations.

Bob was preceded in death by his father Fred Forrest Guthrie, mother Ruth Ellen Saunders and brother Forrest Eugene Guthrie.

He is survived by his wife, Wardine Norvell Guthrie; son, William Keith Guthrie; daughter, Mary Ellen Wier and husband, Ronnie Wier; three grandsons, Bailey Wier, Zach Wier, and Casey Guthrie. He is also survived by a nephew, John Guthrie, of Dayton, Texas.

Memorials may be made to Hospice or San Antonio Academy of Texas, Mission Road Development Center, or Charity of Choice.