The Honorable Robert Adam Mosbacher, Sr. - March 11, 1927 - January 24, 2010

The Honorable Mr. Robert A. Mosbacher, Odyssey Academy’s founder and board president for ten years, passed away Sunday morning. He has had a large influence in the lives of many students and families of Galveston. Our students are high achievers with big dreams. Odyssey Academy provides them a community environment with strong academic and moral standards; this is how Mr. Mosbacher designed and made sure the school provided these needs. Mr. Mosbacher requested that in lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Odyssey Academy Charter School in Galveston (2412 61st Street, Galveston, Texas 77551). Thank you for considering a donation to continue the high standards Mr. Mosbacher held for all the students at Odyssey Academy. Please make checks payable to Odyssey Academy and mail to 2412 61st Street, Galveston, TX 77551. Odyssey Academy is a public charter school, serving pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. We are a non-profit 501c3 corporation. You will receive a 501c3 letter in return for the donation. Thank you for helping the children of Mr. Mosbacher’s Odyssey Academy!

Robert Adam Mosbacher, Sr., former U.S. Secretary of Commerce in the Administration of President George H.W. Bush, an accomplished oilman and industry leader, and a champion amateur sailor, died Sunday, January 24th of cancer at the age of 82.

Bob Mosbacher was born in Mt. Vernon, New York on March 11, 1927 to Emil and Gertrude Mosbacher and was the youngest of three children. He grew up in White Plains, New York before moving to Texas in 1948. He graduated from the Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut and Washington and Lee University.

At a very early age, he established himself as one of the premier competitive sailors on Long Island Sound winning the 1939 Long Island Sound Midget Sailing Championship, and the 1941 and 42 Long Island Sound Atlantic Class Championships. He went on to amass a number of national and international titles including the 1957 and 1987 Scandinavian Gold Cup; the 1958 North American Clifford Mallory Cup; the 1969 Dragon Class World Championship; and the 1971 Soling World Championship.

His sailing exploits and those of his brother, Bus, earned them a joint photo on the cover of the May 19, 1959 issue of Sports Illustrated with the title “Kings of the Class Boat Sailors.” Bob had a unique gift for sailing, and a passion for the water. He also had a passion for his family, his business, and his country.

At the age of 21, and on the advice of his father, Bob moved to Houston with his first wife, Jane Pennybacker, to build an independent oil and gas company. The next decade would bring four wonderful children – Diane, Robert Jr., Kathryn, and Lisa. However, tragedy struck when his beloved Jane succumbed to leukemia in 1970.

In the meantime, Bob built a highly successful energy exploration and production company with interests primarily in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. At different times over the past 50 years, the company has had profitable investments in the Rocky Mountains, Michigan, Canada, Spain, the Philippines, Venezuela, India, and more.

Since 1950, Mosbacher has participated in the discovery and/or development of hundreds of millions of barrels of oil, and almost a trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The business has had the good fortune of a very dedicated and loyal group of employees who have shared in the successes, as well as the disappointments over the years. Bob is deeply grateful to his Mosbacher Energy family, both past and present, for their support.

His decades of oil and gas experience, coupled with his astute business judgment, led others to seek his counsel, resulting in his heading a host of industry organizations including the National Petroleum Council, The All-American Wildcatters’ Association, the U.S. Oil and Gas Association and others. Bob was long considered a consummate dealmaker who was always willing to take risk, but within acceptable parameters. Early on, he learned some very valuable lessons from his father who anticipated the Stock Market Crash of 1929, and he used those lessons to help guide the company through the ups and downs of the oil business over the last several decades.

Out of a deep desire to give something back to his country, he got involved in elective politics in the 1960′s. Although he served as Harris County Chairman of the 1968 Nixon Campaign, it was his loyal friendship with, and devoted support of George Bush that would lead him to the national political stage. In fact, Mosbacher managed the national fundraising operations for five different GOP presidential campaigns – from Gerald Ford in 1976 to John McCain in 2008. He was regarded by friend and foe alike as one of the most effective political fundraisers in modern history, partly because of the respect he commanded as a business leader, and because he never asked others to support a candidate or cause he was not supporting actively himself.

Following the 1988 election, he was asked by then President-elect George H.W. Bush to join his Cabinet as the 28th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. He was honored by the opportunity to serve his country and on February 3, 1989, he was sworn in by his close friend, Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, with President Bush looking on.

His principal accomplishments while at the helm of the Commerce Department from 1989 until early 1992 included laying the foundation for the North American Free Trade Agreement, helping shrink America’s trade deficit with Japan and South Korea, and aggressively promoting U.S. exports through the strengthening of the U.S. Foreign and Commercial Service of the Commerce Department. His role in helping negotiate NAFTA prompted Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo to present Mosbacher with the “Order of the Aztec Eagle,” the highest decoration offered by the Mexican Government to non-citizens.

He was particularly proud later in life to have served as Chairman of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas; on the board of the Naval Academy Endowment; and as founder and president of the board of the Odyssey Academy Charter School in Galveston. Just recently, he was honored to learn that the Robert A. Mosbacher, Sr. Institute for Trade, Economics and Public Policy is being created within the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

Bob had a quick, warm smile, a wonderful sense of humor, and a fun-loving way about him that was contagious. He was deeply devoted to his family and felt that he was one of the luckiest men in the world to have been mentored by his father “Pop” along with respected business friend Max Fisher, and to have lived such an incredible life with a family he adored and friends like fellow oilman Chesley Pruet and his dear friend and lawyer, Randy Smith.

His survivors include his wife of ten years, Michele “Mica” Mosbacher; sister Barbara Susan Mosbacher; daughter Diane and her spouse Nanette Gartrell; son Rob; daughter Kathi and her spouse Michael Wheeler; daughter Lisa and her spouse Downing Mears; grandchildren Peter (and wife Lucy), Jane, and Meredith Mosbacher, Parker, Whitney (and wife Katie), and Bayly Mears; stepson Donald Cameron Duncan III and his spouse Brittanie Hoster Duncan; stepsons Robert and Lloyd Gerry; a step-grandchild; as well as numerous nephews and cousins. His older brother, Emil “Bus” Mosbacher, passed away in 1997.

A celebration of Bob Mosbacher’s life will be held this Wednesday, January 27th at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston.

The family wishes to thank Dr. John Mendelsohn, Dr. Robert Wolff, and all the caregivers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, as well as Dr. Daniel von Hoff of TGen Research Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (https://www3.mdanderson.org/devoffice/), the newly created Mosbacher Institute at the Bush School at Texas A&M University, or the Odyssey Academy Charter School in Galveston (2412 61st Street, Galveston, Texas 77551).

Published November 15, 2009

GALVESTON — Mike Bolin and John White toured the new Odyssey Academy building, although they knew exactly what it looks like.

Their company, White & Bolin, renovated the old H-E-B Pantry store complex, 61st Street and Avenue S, into a campus for the charter school.

As members of the Galveston Chamber of Commerce, parents and supporters toured the new campus Thursday night, White and Bolin recalled walking through the old store, which had been wrecked by Hurricane Ike on Sept. 13, 2008.

Read more…

Published November 15, 2009

On a tour of Odyssey Academy the other evening, I saw many interesting things and one thing that stopped me in my tracks.

That was the principal’s office.

As a young man, I acquired some experience of principals’ offices, having made more than one trip. But this one surprised me.

Read more…

By Heber Taylor
The Daily News

Published November 4, 2009

After Hurricane Ike, Galveston became a laboratory for those who are interested in charter schools. Across the state, 3 percent of the students in public schools are in charter schools. In Galveston, that number exceeds 10 percent.

If the Legislature removed the cap on the number of charters the state will grant, the percentage of students in charter schools in Galveston would be even higher. At the two independent charter schools on the island � Odyssey Academy and Ambassadors Preparatory Academy � the waiting lists of children hoping to attend are long. The lists of those waiting are about as long as the lists of those enrolled.

The two independent charter schools have had spectacular results academically.

Read more…

On Tuesday March 31st Galveston Police Department’s outreach program visited Odyssey Academy. They visited all students and discussed their jobs as police officers, safety, drugs and answered a number of questions.

Special Thanks to:

• Sgt. Michael Gray
• Officer Archie Chapman
• Officer Jeremy Attaway
• Officer Chris McNeil
• Officer Kevin Mach

Odyssey Academy had a group of teachers visit the school in February from the United Kingdom. The group travelled to Texas and the Houston/Galveston area to visit premier Texas public schools and selected Odyssey Academy for their visit to find out more about Texas charters.

They spent the day visitng classrooms, observing teachers, support staff and administrators to compare views on education and to build relationships and networks.

“I just wanted to say how impressed we all were with your wonderful school, especially as you are dealing with such a difficult situation at the moment. Everyone we met could not have been more welcoming and it is clear to see that the children are settled and happy. The positivity displayed in your school is an example to us all of what can be done when you set your mind to it,” said Kathy Keeley, Deputy Headteacher of The Hollies School in Wales.

Odyssey Academy students Adam Thompson and Edward Sienko won first place and second place, respectively, in the Computer Science category of the recently concluded 2009 Galveston County Science and Engineering Fair. Edward Sienko’s entry, Robotest, is a multilevel video game that he designed with colorful and artistic graphics and backgrounds created from Microsoft paint. Adam Thompson’s “The Art of Video Gaming Design” demonstrated a different level of complex programming skills.

Their teacher, Mr. Canon said, “I am very proud of what our students have accomplished. Last year, we also won first and second place in the same category. I hope we will be sending entries in other categories next year.”

Clear Creek ISD’s Gilmore Elementary Student Council donated Library Books and Die Cuts to help Odyssey Academy recover from Hurricane Ike. Special Thanks to Trent Martin from Gilmore’s PTO for coordinating the relief efforts.

Both Gilmore and Odyssey Academy’s Student Council Groups are pictured.

After losing all their computer equipment Sept. 13, 2008, to Hurricane Ike, O’Connell College Preparatory and Odyssey Academy collectively received more than 200 computers, monitors, keyboards and mice for use by the students and teachers at each school.

“It’s a big plus to these schools to receive these computers with wiped hard drives,” said Marianne Fullen, computer donation coordinator with the Galveston District Logistics Activity. “Instead of computers being destroyed, they’re sent to schools.”

Romano Caturegli of the USACE Logistics Activity traveled from the Los Angeles District to assist Galveston with preparation and delivery of the computers. For two weeks, Caturegli worked and coordinated with Army Corps of Engineers-Information Technology to have the computer hard drives wiped for delivery.

In addition to the schools, the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard also received nearly 40 computers from the Galveston District. The 36th ID provided support to the district during the hurricane’s aftermath by providing water, supplies and food.

“We’re extremely pleased to assist schools and non-profit organizations in our community with educational equipment to help them succeed,” said District Commander Col. David C. Weston. “Our neighbors and community partners have withstood so much since Hurricane Ike and together we can continue to build strong partnerships for the future.”

Galveston District has transferred excess computer equipment to local schools since 1996 under Executive Order 12999, Educational Technology: Ensuring Opportunity for All Children in the Next Century. The Executive Order streamlines the transfer of excess and surplus federal computer equipment to classrooms across America.

Schools receiving computer donations from the Galveston District have included O’Connell College Preparatory, Odyssey Academy, Galveston Catholic School and Westbury Christian in Katy, Texas.

Schools interested in receiving excess computer equipment from the federal government register online with the General Services Administration’s Computers for Learning Web site, www.computersforlearning.gov.

Reprinted with Permission from the Pacesetter, February 2009 Issue