Robert Eugene Muller

Obituary – Robert Eugene Muller Bob Muller was born in Oakland on October 16, 1923. He attended Bella Vista Elementary School and Oakland High School, graduating in 1941. After one year at San Francisco City College, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Assigned to the Troop Carrier Command, he served in the Plans and Operations Section of the Command Headquarters in the Mediterranean and European theaters during World War II, participating in the planning of thirteen major airborne operations. In 1944 Staff Sergeant Muller was awarded the Army’s Bronze Star medal for meritorious service. Following the war, Bob returned to UC Berkeley graduating in 1948 with a BA majoring in political science and speech. In one more year he completed work for a California secondary teaching credential and taught social studies and public speaking at Delano High School and at Carmel High School. Another year at UC Berkeley added a master’s degree in library science. His career in school librarianship saw him organize a library at Petaluma Junior High School, then take on the new role of supervisor of library services in the Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools in Santa Rosa, serving fifty-four elementary schools in the county. He then moved to Daly City, setting up fourteen new school libraries in the Jefferson Elementary School District. Active in his professional organizations, he headed the San Francisco Association of Children’s Librarians, the Bay Area Media Evaluation Guild, and the California Association of School Librarians, receiving national recognition for his innovative approaches to incorporating new media into traditional book libraries. Following his retirement in 1983, he became active in the Sierra Club’s hiking section, leading hundreds of day hikes throughout the Bay Area, and working on the Bay Chapter’s hiking schedule for twenty years. Over many years, Bob was a twenty-gallon blood donor. In 1953, he married Florence Junkin, with whom he had two children: Robert James Muller and Grace Eleanor Muller. Florence died in 1985. His last years were spent with his domestic partner and later wife, Verna Osborn, hiking with the Sierra Club and traveling extensively in the U.S., Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America. He passed away peacefully just 12 days shy of his 100th birthday. He is survived by his son Robert James Muller, grandson Theodore Charles Muller, and daughter Grace Eleanor Edinboro. At his request, no memorial service will be held. October 2023

Robert Eugene Muller

October 16, 1923 - October 4, 2023