Robert. Molander

Robert, a retired Fresno Bee reporter and editor, university instructor, Fresno historian and longtime church leader, died on Saturday, September 4, 2010. He was 87 years old and widely known as "Mo".

He was born in Brockton, Ma., and volunteered for the U.S. Navy at age 18 soon after Pearl Harbor. He was a member of a naval gun crew aboard merchant ships subject to aerial and submarine attack, a most hazardous assignment. His rank was signalman, Petty Officer Second Class. Molander and a Brockton buddy decided to "go west" to college under the GI Bill. They ended up at Fresno State College, from which Molander graduated in 1950 with a journalism degree. He was hired by The Fresno Bee and spent his entire career on its staff. He covered local news and sports, with boxing a savvy specialty, no doubt inspired by his Brockton friendship with Rocky, Marciano, later the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. In other years Molander handled the county government beat and was the unrevealed writer of several stories exposing corruption in Fresno. As his experience grew, he became a newsroom troubleshooter, serving as executive sports editor, city editor, copy-desk chief and senior editor prior to his retirement in 1985. For many semesters he taught part-time at Fresno State while working on a decades-long project, a history of The Bee, published in 2008. The book, "Extra! Extra! The Life and Legacy of The Fresno Bee," had been commissioned by James McClatchy, chairman of the board of McClatchy Newspapers.

Peggy, his wife of 48 years, died in May. Together they served First Baptist Church of Fresno for decades. He was a 47-year member and at one time was church moderator as well as chairman, vice chairman or secretary of the Board of Managers and of a half-dozen other boards and committees, edited the church newsletter, coached the basketball team and was head usher. Molander leaves his sons, Gary and Craig; brother and sister, Arthur and Peggy; two daughters-in-law; and five grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held at Fresno First Baptist Church on Friday, September 10, 2010, at 2:30 p.m.