DARIEN, Conn. Robert S. Foote, 85, a longtime resident of Darien, died March 30 at the Village at Waveny Care Center in New Canaan. Active in Darien town politics, Foote served as moderator of the Representative Town Meeting in the early 1970s.
Born Jan. 24, 1927, in Winthrop, Mass., he was the son of Helen Spofford and Charles Silas Foote. He earned a bachelors of naval science degree from Dartmouth College in 1946 and a masters of civil engineering degree from Yale University in 1949.
Foote began his career with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and completed his Navy service from 1951 to 1953, stationed in Greece. Upon his return to the Port Authority, he was the manager of the research division of the Tunnels and Bridges Department, where he participated in the design of the lower level of the George Washington Bridge, the catwalk car system in the Lincoln Tunnel and the preliminary development of automatic vehicle identification systems, the precursor to E-ZPass.
He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Operations Research Society of America and the Institute of Traffic Engineers as well as founding chairman of the Research Committee of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association. In 1968, Foote was awarded the Howard S. Cullman Fellowship, which enabled him to tour the world and evaluate traffic systems for application in New York City.
A lifelong sailor, he was an active member of the Noroton Yacht Club, where he raced cruising boats. Foote was a fan of classical music and an aspiring pianist. In his retirement, he refined his talents in nature photography.
Foote is survived by a son, John S. Foote and wife Mary Clare Crotty of South Salem, N.Y.; a sister, Mary Anne Foote Stauder of Lady Lake, Fla.; a brother, C. Richard Foote, of Corrales, N.M.; and three granddaughters. His wife, Susanne Danna Andrews, died in 2003, and his son, James A. Foote, died in 1981.
A graveside service will be held at Spring Grove Cemetery in Darien on May 12 at 4:30 p.m. Lawrence Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or the English Springer Spaniel Club of Long Island.
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