[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10398]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




POSTHUMOUS TRIBUTE TO THE LATE FAMU COACH, PROFESSOR ROBERT T. ``BOB'' 
                                 MUNGEN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 2003

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, though it is a sad day for the 
entire Florida A&M University family, I find it a great privilege to 
pay this posthumous tribute to the late Coach and Professor Robert T. 
``Bob'' Mungen. His untimely demise this past Sunday, April 20, 2003, 
leaves a great void in our historic institution. He is survived by his 
beloved wife Doretha, his son Robert, and daughters Toyka and Sonya 
Lynn.
  Coach Mungen's magnificent contributions to the personal and 
professional growth of countless students and scholar-athletes at FAMU, 
Edward Waters College, and Knoxville College are legendary and now 
emblaze the halls of academia. To his credit, young men and young women 
who came under his tutelage found a caring professor and an indomitable 
coach, who was at the same time highly regarded and loved as a 
confidant and a doting father-figure.
  Nowhere has his role of advocating played out so genuinely in the 
lives of his students than in the indelible mark he left on Barbara 
Thompson, a former student and colleague of his. Captured recently by 
the daily paper, The Tallahassee Democrat, she cogently characterized 
him as ``. . . someone I could go and get real good advice from like a 
daughter . . . As a student, I confided in him. As a colleague, I 
confided in him.''
  A Jacksonville native, ``Bob'' Mungen played under the legendary 
Coach A.S. Jake Gaither in three choice positions as quarterback, 
defensive back and running back on the FAMU football team. His prowess 
in playing those positions were so remarkable that Coach Gaither 
superlatively dubbed him as ``. . . the most versatile athlete I ever 
coached.''
  Professor Mungen served as head football coach at Edward Waters 
College in Jacksonville and later on at Knoxville College in Tennessee 
before coming back to FAMU in 1961. Assigned to the physical education 
department, he took over the men's tennis program and served in this 
capacity until his retirement in 1997.
  In his role as teacher and coach, he gained the confidence of 
countless parents who saw in him as the educator par excellence. They 
entrusted him with the future of their children, fully confident that 
they too would learn from him the tenets of scholarship and the pursuit 
of academic excellence under the rigors of a no-nonsense discipline and 
personal responsibility. In times of crises crowding his students' 
quest for learning, his forthright guidance was one that verged on 
faith in God and confidence in one's ability to survive the 
vicissitudes of life.
  Indeed, our FAMU family is deeply touched and comforted by the 
undaunted leadership and personal warmth he exuded to those who came to 
him through the longevity of his service. This is the genuine legacy he 
bequeathed to those of us he left behind. In a special way, I am 
privileged to be a grateful alumnus of a great institution of learning, 
graced bountifully by his remarkable contributions.

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