Bobby Locke, who had a terrible taste for flamboyant vests, was a fellow second tenor, and a lovely person. He had wonderful sort of wavy hair, sort of the beatific smile, a good tennis player. He was from New Jersey. And he was one of the earliest to die. Strangely enough he died on the tennis court, which I think is a wonderful way to go! I just hope he was ahead when he….

-From Frank Cabot at the 60th Anniversary Memorial Service

Robert W. Locke, since 1968 executive vice president of the McGraw‐Hill Book Company, died Sunday of a cerebral hemorrhage while vacationing with his family in Los Angeles. He was 44 years old and lived at Larger Cross Roads, Far Hills, N. J.

Mr. Locke was born in Princeton, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Bradford B. Locke and a grand son of Dean Henry Burchard Fine of Princeton University. He prepared at Kent School for Harvard, where he was gradu ated following Marine Corps service in World War II.

Mr. Locke joined McGraw Hill’s college division as a sales man in 1948, became editor of business and economics text books in 1953 and senior vice president of the book company in charge of educational tech nology activities, including learning systems and new media, in 1965.

A director of the American Association of Publishers, Mr. Locke was also a member of the education committee of the National Urban League.

In New Jersey he was member of the Governor’s Commission on Public Broad casting, chairman of the ad visory council for Title III of the 1965 Elementary and Sec ondary Education Act, and member and past president of the Bedminster Board of Edu cation. He was president of the board of trustees of the Far Hills Country Day School and past president of the Bernards ville Library Association.

A trustee of the Matheny School in Peapack, N. J., for children with cerebral palsy, he had become a spokesman for his industry on education far the disadvantaged and the handicapped as well as new systems of learning. At the re cent White House Conference on Children he was a forum leader.

Mr. Locke is survived by his widow, the former Alice Patricia Fahnestock; a son, Robert Wynter Locke Jr.; three daugh ters, Alison Post, Katharine Beekman and Evelyn Fahne stock Locke; his mother, a sister, Mrs. Charles L. Richards, and two brothers, Rev. Brad ford B. Locke Jr. and John E. Locke.

Posted March 30, 1971
Read More: https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/30/archives/robert-w-looke-of-mgrawhill-executive-vice-president-of-book.html?_r=0