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Remembering Bob Tall, Past APCO Member & Association Executive Director
On April 20, Robert “Bob” E. Tall (82), APCO International Life Member and former executive director, passed away after a long battle with cancer at his home in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
Tall was born in Baltimore on May 15, 1926. A graduate of the University of Maryland, his career included serving in the U.S. Navy and owning and operating Washington, D.C., based newsletters, Telecommunications Reports, Industrial Communications and Washington Radio Reports, which focused on FCC actions. After 33 years of publication, Tall sold the newsletters to Phillips Publishing Inc. in 1983.
Tall joined APCO in 1954 and was a member of both the Virginia and Mid-Eastern chapters. He had great leadership abilities and was a productive person, working on local, regional and national level APCO conferences. In addition, he held positions on standing and special committees and task forces, sharing his expertise at both chapter and national levels. He was a proactive member for more than 50 years and authored more than 200 articles for the APCO BULLETIN.
Tall became APCO executive director on March 1, 1984, taking a significant cut in his personal income to take on the role. He was interviewed by the APCO Board of Officers, and his appointment was approved by the Executive Council.
Craig Jorgensen was APCO president when Tall was hired. He says, “The challenges were enormous. I think that’s probably one of the things most members will never recognize is the depths of the issues [APCO] faced on multiple levels [when Tall took the position].”
The difficulties tackled during Tall’s time in the position included low membership numbers, a struggling magazine and the need to nature the association’s relationships. “I think we made the right decision [in hiring Tall],” says Jorgensen. “Associations evolve, and leadership changes. If you can get someone in the right position at the right time, they can achieve the objectives you gave them when they were hired.”
Under Tall’s watch, APCO grew as an association from 3,000 members to more than 9,000, with new chapters in Canada and the Caribbean. The APCO staff grew from five to 30 employees. The national conference significantly increased in exhibitor and attendance numbers.
According to Jorgensen, two of the greatest accomplishments under Tall’s tenure were the growth in membership and the refocused attention on the APCO BULLETIN. “[Tall’s] background knowledge gave us the insight to deal with the magazine and regulatory issues,” says Jorgensen. “He had the experience and the insight into how we [could] correct [these issues].”
This period also saw the establishment of the APCO Institute. According to Tall, this achievement coined the title telecommunicator, which was “imbued with dignity and recognition, and raised the prestige of those who hold the title to an unprecedented, professional level.”
Taking on frequency regulation: According to APCO Past President, and Tall’s longtime friend, Joe Nasser, Tall had an “uncanny knowledge of the regulatory process,” as well as personal relationships with key Washington figures.
Nasser says, “One of the earliest memories I have of Bob was when we went to Washington together. Bob said we needed to meet with people at the Commission. I asked him if we had any appointments. He said, ‘No.’
“I said, ‘You can’t just walk into the Federal Communications Commission and say Hi, I’m Bob Tall, and I’m here to talk to you.’
“He said, ‘Sure you can.’ And we did, concluding with a meeting with Office of Engineering Technology Director Thomas Stanley and his associate director, Will McGibbon?.
“He and I simply waltzed into the building and started going door to door, and every time he popped his head into an office, they were like ‘Bob! How are you?’ This went on dozens of times. He [also] knew every clerk, assistant and secretary,” says Nasser.
The regulatory and legislative successes under Tall include the FCC certification and formation of the APCO Automated Frequency Coordination in 1986, which had been approved by the APCO Board and Executive Council three years earlier. Nasser says, “[Tall] was like a charging bull for two years to force the issue to a vote and get approval [from the Executive Council] to establish the division.”
Tall also helped draft the concept and goals for an advisory committee on 800 MHz for public safety, which eventually became the National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee that NPSTC is founded on.
“After I really got to know him well,” says Nasser, “I realized that he was one of the iconic figures of the 20th Century for communications in the U.S., not just public safety. ... He left such a mark on the industry. I can’t think of anyone in the last 15–20 years who can compare to the achievements that Bob Tall made in our business. He was an extraordinary person.”
Tall retired from the executive director position on March 16, 1992. In his final APCO BULLETIN column as executive director, Tall wrote, “The executive director did not do all of these things, of course. We did them, and many, many more, together. ... I am honored to have served you all, and am grateful for the opportunity to have done so.”
After his retirement, Tall worked as a consultant on FCC regulatory issues and public safety grants while living in Florida.
Tall was predeceased by Jane Suell Davies Tall, Roanne Rubin Tall and his companion, Martha Goodwin. He is survived by his former wife, Gaye Tall, and children, Robin Hogan, Roberta Morton, Ben, Grover and Jimmy Tall, Jenny Kerven, Larry Erlich, 12 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Tall was cremated, and his ashes returned to Calvert County, Md. Condolences may be sent to M/M Ben Tall, 2326 Nantucket Dr., Crofton, MD 21114.
“[Tall] will be missed,” says Jorgensen. “He was an important part of our history. ... He did more than one would expect of an executive director and gave more to the association than he received. ... I think he was most passionate about APCO as a whole. He loved the association, the membership, public safety. No one could fault Bob’s belief in APCO.”
—Helen Rushing, Mid-Eastern Chapter, & Natasha Yetman, Assistant Editor
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