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DAX F. ROBERT BOB Age 67, of Pittsburgh, formerly of Sewickley, died at home on Friday, May 5, 2017. Growing up in Sewickley, Bob had an early aptitude for math, earning a BS in Metallurgical Engineering and ME in Materials Science from Carnegie Mellon, then completing all classwork toward a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at West Virginia University. While a student at CMU, Bob developed his volleyball skills as a 3-time MVP in club volleyball, later traveling for semi-pro volleyball teams and competing in beach volleyball tournaments. Bob ran two marathons, including the 1st Pittsburgh Marathon in 1985. In future years he formed a passion for long-distance cycling, Sudoku puzzles and cerebral computer games. He also enjoyed yearly Myrtle Beach golf trips with fraternity brothers, and bonding with his Corgi, Toby. Bob's career took him to positions with US Steel Corp., ESM, Inc., Value Engineering Laboratory (Alexandria, VA), Caterpillar Tractor Corp. (Peoria, IL), Colt Industries/Crucible Research Center, and Cytemp Specialty Steel. While at Crucible, his team was awarded a patent for a cobalt-free high-speed steel, later selected as an IR-100 award winner for 1981. In 1992, Bob joined Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC), spending the next 20 years in management and project development. Many of his projects involved applications for military and industry. Bob contributed to more than 50 articles and gave numerous technical talks, including a presentation at the World Conference on Titanium in Kyoto, Japan. With Pittsburgh as the hub for metal production, Bob was on the executive committee of the Golden Triangle Chapter of the American Society for Metals (ASM), served as chapter president in 1991, and was elected an ASM International Fellow in 2009. For 35 years, Bob spent weekends renovating and managing rental properties, becoming quite a handyman. During the 1980's, he served Pittsburgh Realty Operators and Proprietors (PROPS) as president and mastered the challenges of being a landlord. Bob was the son of the late Frank Andrew Dax and Dorothy Goffus Dax; husband to Kathy Sabec Dax; father to Frank Ryan (Eunice) and Stephanie (Sara); and brother to Barbara Schmidt, Brian Dax and Patricia Schauble. At CMU Bob began a lifetime of involvement in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity. From 2008-2015, as Alumni Advisor to the CMU chapter, he mentored countless True Gentlemen. Bob's efforts were recognized by SAE fraternity's national headquarters (Order of Minerva award), and by Carnegie Mellon with an Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 2014. After Bob was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) in January 2014, SAE dedicated their annual Donut Dash fundraiser to raise money for LiveLikeLou, a fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation which helps Western PA families affected by the disease and supports local ALS research. For the past three years, Donut Dash has set fundraising records for any single fraternity event, uniting administrators from both Carnegie Mellon and Pitt. Bob will be fondly remembered on Oct. 1, 2017, at the upcoming SAE/CMU Donut Dash in Oakland's Schenley Plaza. And, his legacy lives on at the LiveLikeLou Center for ALS Research, where a recently acquired Nikon Confocal A1R Microscope was named in Bob's honor-"the DAX". Friends will be received at the JOHN F. SLATER FUNERAL HOME, INC., 412-881-4100, 4201 Brownsville Road, Brentwood 15227, Wednesday, May 10, 2017, from 5-8 p.m. and Thursday, May 11, 2017, from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial in St. Mary of the Mount Church on Friday, May 12, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. Everyone please meet at church. Memorial contributions may be made for ALS research at www.LiveLikeLou.org/donate, or checks payable to University of Pittsburgh (memo: Live Like Lou ALS Research in Memory of Bob Dax): Medical & Health Sciences Foundation, University of Pittsburgh, 3600 Forbes Avenue, Ste. 8084, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Also, memorial contributions may be directed to the ALS Western PA Chapter, at 416 Lincoln Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15209. Please send condolences to www.johnfslater.com. Send condolences post-gazette.com/gb
