Robert J. Platenberg

Robert J. Platenberg
1921-1998

Robert Platenberg was born in Shelby County, Iowa, August 21, 1921. He received his elementary and secondary education in the public schools at Harlan, Iowa. He entered the U.S. Army in 1942 and served in Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines until December, 1945. He earned a Bachelor of Science and a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Iowa at Iowa City.

Robert married Dorothy Eileen Gifford in September, 1948 in Omaha, Nebraska. Two children were born in Iowa, Roderick Jay in 1952 and Robin Jayne in 1955.

He served as a high school commercial teacher and counselor at Wyoming Consolidated School, Wyoming, Iowa in 1953. From 1954-55, he served as high school principal of Elwood Consolidated School, Elwood, Iowa. In 1956, Robert was superintendent of the Consolidated School at Mitchellville, Iowa.

In 1957 Robert joined the DoD schools and the family moved to Bremerhaven, Germany where he taught commercial subjects at Bremerhaven American High School. Part-way through the school year, he assumed the duties of counselor and assistant principal. In 1958 he was high school principal of the Wuerzburg American High School. He went to Frankfurt American High School as Assistant Principal in 1959 for two years. From 1961-62, Robert was high school principal and dormitory manager of Poitiers American High School, Poitiers, France. He then went to Mannheim American High School where he served as principal from 1963-66.

A daughter, Renata Jacilyn, was born in Heidelberg in August 1965.

Robert moved to Darmstadt in 1967 serving as principal at Darmstadt American School until 1970 when he became principal of the Darmstadt Elementary School. All three children went from kindergarten through high school in the overseas schools.

Robert retired in October 1992 and established residency in Golden, Colorado. He passed away on October 9, 1998.

Prepared by Dorothy Platenberg