Robert Bruce MONTGOMERY b. 21 Aug 1920 Bakersfield, Kern, California, USA d. 31 Oct 2009 , Kern, California, USA: An Armstrong & A Heffernan

1920 - 2009 (89 years)

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Name	Robert Bruce MONTGOMERY [1, 2]
Born	21 Aug 1920	Bakersfield, Kern, California, USA [3, 4]
Gender	Male
Name	Bob Montgomery
Died	31 Oct 2009	, Kern, California, USA [5]
Obituary	3 Nov 2009	Bakersfield, Kern, California, USA
Bakersfield Californian
Robert Bruce Montgomery 1920 - 2009 Robert Bruce (Bob) Montgomery, local businessman and founder of Montgomery Drilling Co., died Saturday, October 31, 2009, in the presence of his family after a short illness. He was 89. Raised in Bakersfield from birth, Bob spent his youth playing sports, hunting, fishing, riding horses and re-building his own Model A. He attended Kern County Union High School and Bakersfield Junior College, transferring to Stanford University in 1939, where he was for a time a member of the team that went on to win the 1941 Rose Bowl. He and fellow Bakersfield native Don Hopper joined the Navy together just before the outbreak of World War II in 1941, hoping to be assigned to a warship. However, with his engineering background, Bob became the Lieutenant Commander of the Naval Repair Base in San Diego. In this capacity, he coordinated the maintenance and repairs of amphibious vehicles and their crews for expeditious return to battle in the Pacific arena. When the war ended, he returned to Stanford, where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering in 1947. He met Ruth Ann Greene while at Stanford, and kept in touch with her during the war. In 1950, they were married in Calabasas, California in the house used for the movie "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House". Immediately after graduation he began his career in the oil business in the Los Angeles basin, first with Atlantic Richfield, then with Howard Nelson Company and Pike Drilling. In 1954, he returned to Bakersfield and co-founded Casey and Montgomery Drilling Inc. with one drilling rig. He bought his partner out three years later, and over the next two decades built Montgomery Drilling Co. into the largest privately owned deep-well drilling company west of the Mississippi, with 26 rigs drilling wells from California to the Alaskan North Slope, Canada, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. One of his rigs broke the record for the deepest well ever drilled offshore California. For a short time he drilled in the North Sea. The success of the drilling business allowed him to help others along the way, and he was instrumental in the success of other Bakersfield entities such as Cates Trucking and B & B Surplus. He also helped further the career of horse trainer Greg Ward, with whom he partnered in a training operation south of Porterville. He had a passion for ranching and farming, and he became a significant citrus farmer and cattle rancher in Tulare County. An excellent golfer, he purchased and renovated River Island Country Club located between Porterville and Springville, selling it to members after making it one of the premier courses in the central San Joaquin Valley. An avid hunter, he built a duck club in the Buttonwillow area. When the drilling industry all but disappeared in the late 1980's, he turned to real estate development near the golf course, and he and a partner formed Montgomery Ranch, a planned community of one-acre home sites. He assumed control of the local Wendy's restaurant franchise, Four Corners, Inc., and partnered with his son to make it a success. It still operates four Wendy's restaurants in Santa Clarita, California. He is a former director of both Stockdale and Bakersfield country clubs, past president of the latter and a member of Valley and Birnam Wood Country Clubs in Montecito. He was a founding director of San Joaquin Bank and served a year on the Grand Jury. Other affiliations include the Jonathan Club, Balboa Bay Club, Rancheros Visitadores, Petroleum Clubs of Los Angeles and Bakersfield, the Century Club, the Stanford Buck Club and the Downtown Rotary Club. Along with his wife, Bob was a generous supporter of many organizations, most notably the Assistance League of Bakersfield, which his wife founded. He was a loyal Stanford alum and created an endowed scholarship fund for undergraduates. The Montgomery home was the venue for many fundraisers, the most memorable being for President Reagan when he ran for his first presidential term. He will be remembered for his quick wit, his business acumen, his integrity, and his passion to help those who have the will to succeed. He lived his entire life according to a personal philosophy of hard work, competence and perseverance, and shared this philosophy with his children. He will be greatly missed. Preceding him in death was his brother Wayne. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Ann, his sister Irene and three children: daughter Melinda and husband Kurt Thomas, daughter Marilee and husband Joe Green, son Robert Jr. and wife Rhonda. He took great pride in his nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren: Nicholas, Kelley, Natalie, Jessica, Michael, Amber, Thomas, Jess, Lisa, Audrey, Sarah and Michelle. The family is grateful to Rachael Peralta, his driver, caregiver and friend; to Susan Freilino, for her on-call medical help; to longtime bookkeeper Carol Holloway; and to housekeeper Marty Barron. Heartfelt thanks to Tammy, Jessica, all the caregivers at Interim Healthcare and Mercy Hospice, and a special thanks to Monsignor Craig Harrison. A memorial service will be held on Friday, November 6, at 11:00 AM at St. Francis Church, 900 H St., Bakersfield. A private internment will take place at the Bakersfield National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the Stanford Fund, giving.stanford.edu., "Bakersfield Waterman Foundation", The Rotary Club of Bakersfield- Downtown: PO Box 1628, Bakersfield, CA 93302 and the Bakersfield Assistance League: 1924 Q St., Bakersfield, CA 93301-4814. Doughty-Calhoun-O'Meara
Buried	6 Nov 2009	Arvin, Kern, California, USA
Person ID	I21957	An Armstrong & A Heffernan
Last Modified	23 Mar 2016

Father	Chester Arthur MONTGOMERY, b. 10 Apr 1887, Seneca, Nemaha, Kansas, USA , d. 14 Sep 1961, , Ventura, California, USA (Age 74 years)
Mother	Lena Celesta TALBOY, b. 17 Feb 1884, , Warren, Iowa, USA , d. 22 Jul 1951, , Kern, California, USA (Age 67 years)
Married	25 Dec 1910	, Santa Clara, California, USA [6]
Family ID	F8089	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Sources

[S1963] 1930 Kern CA, ED 22, pg 4B.
Robert Montgomery
[S1276] California County Marriages, 1850-1952, (FamilySearch.org), Montgomery, Robert Bruce.
to Ruth Ann Greene
[S1963] 1930 Kern CA, ED 22, pg 4B.
age 9, California
[S528] SSDI, (FamilySearch.org), Montgomery, Robert Bruce.
21 Aug 1920
[S528] SSDI, (FamilySearch.org), Montgomery, Robert Bruce.
[S1276] California County Marriages, 1850-1952, (FamilySearch.org), Montgomery, Chester Arthur.
to Lena Celesta Talboy, 25 Dec 1910, Santa Clara County