Director of Awards

FORMER 1 LT ROBERT C. MCKAY JR.

TELEPHONE: 843-810-2526

Email: mckaybob@att.net

1 LT Robert "Bob" C. McKay Jr. was born and raised in Charleston, SC.  He graduated from The Citadel in 1967 with a degree in Civil Engineering and a commission as a 2 LT in the US Army. His entrance on active duty was deferred while he attended the University of South Carolina and graduated with a Masters Degree in Engineering.  In 1969 he entered active military service at Ft. Belvoir VA. After completing the Engineer Officer Basic Training course he was assigned as an instructor of Soil Mechanics at the US Army Engineer School at Ft. Belvoir.  In 1970 he was reassigned to the US Army Engineering Command Vietnam at Long Binh. There 1 LT McKay was placed in charge of the Central Materials Testing Laboratory which provided soils, asphalt and concrete testing in support of the US Army's road and airfield construction throughout the entire country. He was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service.

After his discharge from active duty, a strong desire for designing structures led Bob to a civilian job in the Design Division of the Southern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Charleston, SC. Starting in 1971 as a structural engineer, where over the next 10 years, he designed numerous waterfront and building structures at various Naval Bases in the Southeast. In 1975 he became a licensed Professional Civil Engineer.

In 1981, Bob was promoted to a GS-13, to head of the Cost Engineering Branch. The branch was responsible for preparing both planning and construction cost estimates in support of both military construction (MILCON) and Operation, Maintenance and Repair (O&MN) projects. In 1987 he was transferred to supervise the Design Management Branch. The branch was responsible for the establishment and monitoring of schedules and the determination of resources for all work assigned to the Design Division.

Next he was promoted a GS-14 in 1991, to Head of the Structural/Fleet Division of the Planning and Design Department and to serve as the Command's chief structural engineer. The Division provided planning, design and structural Engineering support to COMLANTFLT, NAVSEA, NAVAIR and their activities in 26 states. Additionally he supervised the Airfield Pavement Branch and the Worldwide Jet Engine Test Cell Branch.

A Few Noteworthy projects in which Bob was either the Engineer-in-Charge or supervisor of the Engineer-in-Charge include a $127 million Naval Nuclear Power Training Command School at NWS Charleston; a $100 million Army Strategic Mobility Logistics Base at NWS Charleston; a $43 million Headquarters for SPAWARS at NWS Charleston; a $60 million Research Engine Test Facility at Arnold AFB; $40 million of various Research and Development Facilities at NSWC Crane and NCSC Panama City; the Navy's first environmentally friendly Fuel Pier at the Naval Fuel Depot Jacksonville; a $12 million relocation of the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Facility from Washington, DC to the NCSC, Panama City; and the planning, project development and execution of over 20 projects in excess of $100 million in direct support of the relocation of Navy and Marine Corps training exercises from Puerto Rico to NAS Key West and Eglin AFB.

He was awarded the Department of Navy, Meritorious Civilian Service Award during his retirement ceremony in September 2003. Since his retirement, he keeps busy with involvement in several organizations, building wheel chair ramps. working on Habitat for Humanity houses and most importantly spoiling his grandchildren.

Bob married his childhood sweetheart, Lynda Burbage, in 1967. After 43 years of marriage, Lynda passed away in 2010. Together they raised two wonderful daughters, who in turn gave then four wonderful grandchildren.