Robert was born on April 2, 1927 in Patchogue, N.Y. His grandfather was a medical doctor who visited his patients with a horse and buggy and received as payment chickens and other goods. His father Earle Z. Sittler was a high school teacher and his mother Hattie Sittler (Homm) taught for a short time in a one room schoolhouse.
Robert played the clarinet in the High School band and after graduating served in the U.S. Navy in 1946. He was a Recipient of a Victory Medal. He then attended MIT from 1948-1951 graduating with B.S. (Bachelor of Science) in Electrical Engineering.
In 1952 S.M (Master of Science) in EE and in 1954 Sc. D. In EE (Doctor of Science) Statistical Communication and Control Theory.
It was said that Robert might have been the smartest student at MIT at that time. His first job after MIT was as an engineer/scientist at Lincoln Laboratories working on the SAGE air defense system (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) from 1954 to 1960. He made track-while-scan contributions and also programmed the largest computer in the world at that time. He worked on the Cold War NORAD tracking Russian bombers from north US and Canada.
On March 1, 1960 he founded ARCON Corporation along with two friends and Colleagues who he had worked with at Lincoln Lab. The company started out in Lexington, MA, then moved to Wakefield and finally to Waltham. Robert was the technical wizard who brought in high-level defense and FAA contracts. He solved the hardest technical and mathematical problems these contracts contained.
During his ARCON years, he developed tracking systems, many that are still in use by the FAA today. His Alpha-Beta tracker was incorporated in tracking aircraft as they land and take off from US airports. We all have been safely tracked by Robert’s system when we have flown. His reputation in the FAA was legendary. Two senior level FAA people appeared at ARCON just to meet with Robert. They had a big problem that Mitre could not solve. Robert was a great mentor of younger engineers and scientists at ARCON. In fact the current technical director developed his current tracking expertise while working under Robert’s tutelage.
Robert had a wide range of technical interests: Chemistry, Computer design and programming in machine language, and Egyptology – he even learned to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, after returning from a trip to Egypt in the early 1990s. One of his colleague’s spouse introduced Robert to Hana Strobl and they married in a civil ceremony in Cambridge on August 12, 1976. A church wedding followed in Vienna, Austria on August 21.
Robert liked to dance and took lessons in Cambridge, Wayland and on Cape Cod in Harwich Port at the Wychmere Harbor Club with Hana where they vacationed in the summer. He loved nature, especially birds and all other animals. He was a long time member of the Austro-American Association of Boston and enjoyed particularly the Christmas Parties and the Annual Dinners at the Wayside Inn. He was also very fond of the Strauss Ball given at the Boylston Schulverein. He was a quiet man and liked small dinner parties with dear friends and a stimulating conversation. According to him there was only one great composer – Mozart.
Robert as a person, was just a stellar guy. He was honest and sensitive to the people he worked with. He was viewed as the ‘Integrity Compass’ of ARCON. With customers he was honest and true, making no promises he could not keep. So he has left a real legacy. He is dear to the heart of ARCON and will be missed. Robert passed away on March 30, 2020. His funeral took place on April 2, 2020, That was also his birthday. He was buried at the Wadsworth Cemetery in Sudbury. The Chairman and former president of ARCON gave a beautiful eulogy. Robert was a devoted husband, the soul of a man with a big heart.
He is survived by his beloved wife Hana, cousins, and his treasured pet, a turtle named Goldi. Robert will be missed by ALL but will stay in our hearts forever.