Robert G. Black
July 5, 1929 –
Robert Gordon (Bob) Black, of Sun City Center, FL, died in St. Joseph’s Hospital on Feb. 4, 2024, after a short illness.
Bob, a New York City native, spent his career in journalism and public relations and continued into his retirement years.
His love affair with the printed word started in undergraduate school at Florida Southern College, class of 1951, and continued during his Army service in Korea in 1952, from his work as an editor for the 2nd Infantry Division newspaper to a sports columnist for the Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper, in Tokyo, Japan.
After the Korean War Bob attended Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, receiving his Master of Science degree in 1955. He was a sportswriter for the Associated Press, consulting editor for Popular Science and several boating and travel magazines but always kept his hand in newspapers, free-lancing for the New York Times, the New York Herald Tribune, the St. Petersburg Times, the Tampa Bay Times and the Norwalk Hour.
Bob continued his newspaper writing on the side as he shifted his interest to public relations and worked in public relations for years as a director for the National Council on the Aging, Swissair North America and assistant director for Time Inc. In 1964 he joined the public relations firm of H. A. Bruno as an account executive and rose to the rank of executive vice-president. He supervised the Recreational Boating Industry Association and National Boat Show accounts. He organized the New York Airway Helicopter Service from New York midtown to the city’s three airports.
In 1994 the Bob Black and Company Inc. Agency was formed in Connecticut, and later Bob relocated to Florida. His agency worked closely with non-profit organizations in Florida until 2018.
In 1995, 44 years after graduating from Florida Southern College, Bob returned to the school as an adjunct professor of journalism, marketing consultant and an executive committee member of the National Alumni Board. He later expanded his teaching of journalism to include the University of South Florida. He served on the board of Tilton School in Tilton, New Hampshire. Tilton School provides students with skills and experiences that empower them to navigate an ever-changing world. Bob received the ‘Alumni of the Year’ awards from both schools and the ‘Hall of Fame Alumni Award’ from the Florida Southern College Communications Department.
News and column writing were in his blood. After moving to Sun City Center, FL, he wrote columns in the NEWS of Sun City Center (SCC), The SCC Sun (a Tampa Tribune paper) and the SCC Observer. He served as deputy editor of the NEWS of SCC and since 2016 was a correspondent/contributor for the Tampa Bay Times. He served four years as a member of the board of directors and vice-president for two years for the South Shore Coalition for Mental Health and Aging in Sun City Center, an 11,000 resident community, and was the editor for the Community Resource Guide. Bob was a caring and generous man who supported local and national senior agencies, community service organizations and agencies, and schools.
Bob was born in Manhattan on July 5, 1929. He is predeceased by his parents, Eugene and Rita Black; his wife, Margarie Black; and two brothers, William Black and Eugene Black Jr. He is survived by his dedicated and loving life partner, Marcia Doscher, of Sun City Center, FL; his daughter, Patricia Kelly, of San Rafael, California, and his son, James Black, of Montclair, New Jersey; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; a niece and nephews.
Bob had a great sense of humor and was always upbeat and positive. He loved to read and travel. When asked how he was doing, he would often say, “If any better, I would have to go public and sell stock.”
A celebration of Life for Bob Black will be held on Feb. 29, 2024, at the Kings Point Veterans Theater, 1900 Clubhouse Drive, Sun City Center, FL, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. He will be buried with full honors at the United States National Cemetery, Sarasota, Florida.
Bob loved flowers, however, please do not send flowers. Donations in remembrance can be sent to the Sun City Center Emergency Squad, 720 Ray Watson Drive, Sun City Center, 33573.
Bob, a New York City native, spent his career in journalism and public relations and continued into his retirement years.
His love affair with the printed word started in undergraduate school at Florida Southern College, class of 1951, and continued during his Army service in Korea in 1952, from his work as an editor for the 2nd Infantry Division newspaper to a sports columnist for the Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper, in Tokyo, Japan.
After the Korean War Bob attended Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, receiving his Master of Science degree in 1955. He was a sportswriter for the Associated Press, consulting editor for Popular Science and several boating and travel magazines but always kept his hand in newspapers, free-lancing for the New York Times, the New York Herald Tribune, the St. Petersburg Times, the Tampa Bay Times and the Norwalk Hour.
Bob continued his newspaper writing on the side as he shifted his interest to public relations and worked in public relations for years as a director for the National Council on the Aging, Swissair North America and assistant director for Time Inc. In 1964 he joined the public relations firm of H. A. Bruno as an account executive and rose to the rank of executive vice-president. He supervised the Recreational Boating Industry Association and National Boat Show accounts. He organized the New York Airway Helicopter Service from New York midtown to the city’s three airports.
In 1994 the Bob Black and Company Inc. Agency was formed in Connecticut, and later Bob relocated to Florida. His agency worked closely with non-profit organizations in Florida until 2018.
In 1995, 44 years after graduating from Florida Southern College, Bob returned to the school as an adjunct professor of journalism, marketing consultant and an executive committee member of the National Alumni Board. He later expanded his teaching of journalism to include the University of South Florida. He served on the board of Tilton School in Tilton, New Hampshire. Tilton School provides students with skills and experiences that empower them to navigate an ever-changing world. Bob received the ‘Alumni of the Year’ awards from both schools and the ‘Hall of Fame Alumni Award’ from the Florida Southern College Communications Department.
News and column writing were in his blood. After moving to Sun City Center, FL, he wrote columns in the NEWS of Sun City Center (SCC), The SCC Sun (a Tampa Tribune paper) and the SCC Observer. He served as deputy editor of the NEWS of SCC and since 2016 was a correspondent/contributor for the Tampa Bay Times. He served four years as a member of the board of directors and vice-president for two years for the South Shore Coalition for Mental Health and Aging in Sun City Center, an 11,000 resident community, and was the editor for the Community Resource Guide. Bob was a caring and generous man who supported local and national senior agencies, community service organizations and agencies, and schools.
Bob was born in Manhattan on July 5, 1929. He is predeceased by his parents, Eugene and Rita Black; his wife, Margarie Black; and two brothers, William Black and Eugene Black Jr. He is survived by his dedicated and loving life partner, Marcia Doscher, of Sun City Center, FL; his daughter, Patricia Kelly, of San Rafael, California, and his son, James Black, of Montclair, New Jersey; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; a niece and nephews.
Bob had a great sense of humor and was always upbeat and positive. He loved to read and travel. When asked how he was doing, he would often say, “If any better, I would have to go public and sell stock.”
A celebration of Life for Bob Black will be held on Feb. 29, 2024, at the Kings Point Veterans Theater, 1900 Clubhouse Drive, Sun City Center, FL, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. He will be buried with full honors at the United States National Cemetery, Sarasota, Florida.
Bob loved flowers, however, please do not send flowers. Donations in remembrance can be sent to the Sun City Center Emergency Squad, 720 Ray Watson Drive, Sun City Center, 33573.