R. L. “Bob” Rasmussen (born May 26, 1930 in Rio Vista, California), is a noted artist; a retired Captain in the United States Navy; a former career naval aviator, primarily in the F-8 Crusader; a former member of the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, and Director of the National Museum of Naval Aviation.[1] His Vietnam war experiences, including surviving the fire aboard USS Oriskany, have been documented in several books.[2][3] A prolific artist, Rasmussen has created hundreds of Naval Aviation paintings in watercolor, oil and acrylic. His bronze sculptures include the design of the Spirit of Naval Aviation, displayed at the front entrance of the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida, the Alan Shepard memorial heroic figure [4] at the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and the World War II[5] and Korean War[6] memorials in Pensacola, Florida. His works have been displayed around the country, including the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida, and the NASA Museum at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Rasmussen is the recipient of the R.G. Smith Award for Excellence in Naval Aviation Art,[7] was inducted into the Naval Aviation Hall of Honor in 2008,[8] and was awarded the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award on 24 September 2009.
Watercolor by R.L. Rasmussen. Lithograph was signed by 9 Naval Aviator astronauts: ALAN SHEPARD, Mercury 3, Apollo 14; WALLY SCHIRRA, Mercury 8, Gemini 6, Apollo 7; JOHN GLENN, Mercury 6, STS-95; PETE CONRAD, Gemini 5/11, Apollo 12; JIM LOVELL, Gemini 7/12, Apollo 8/13; GENE CERNAN, Gemini 9, Apollo 10/17; NEIL ARMSTRONG, Gemini 8, Apollo 11; RICK HAUCK, STS-7, STS-26, STS-51A; and JACK LOUSMA, SkyLab 3, STS-3.
References
1. ^ "Combat in the Sky: The Art of Air Warfare", by Philip Handleman, Zenith Press Published 2003, ISBN 0760314683
2. ^ "Over the Beach: The Air War in Vietnam" (Paperback), by Zalin Grant (Author), W. W. Norton & Company; New Ed edition (April 2005) ISBN 0393327272, ISBN 978-0393327274
3. ^ "F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War" by Peter B. Mersky, 1998, Osprey Publishing, ISBN 1855327244
4. ^ "'Spirit' of First American In Space Remembered" By Todd Halvorson, Cape Canaveral Bureau Chief, 21 March 2000
5. ^ City of Pensacola - Official Website
6. ^ City of Pensacola - Official Website
7. ^ "Naval Aviation News, July–August 1998, pg 43." http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1990s/1998/ja98/ppp.pdf
8. ^ "Virginian Pilot, June 20, 2008 pg B4." * "'Spirit' of First American In Space Remembered" By Todd Halvorson, Cape Canaveral Bureau Chief, 21 March 2000
* "Naval Aviation News, July–August 1998, pg 43." http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1990s/1998/ja98/ppp.pdf
* "Combat in the Sky: The Art of Air Warfare", by Philip Handleman, Zenith Press Published 2003, ISBN 0760314683
* "Over the Beach: The Air War in Vietnam" (Paperback), by Zalin Grant (Author), W. W. Norton & Company; New Ed edition (April 2005) ISBN 0393327272, ISBN 978-0393327274
* "F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War" by Peter B. Mersky, 1998, Osprey Publishing, ISBN 1855327244
* http://www.cityofpensacola.com/live/art.asp?pageID=6560
* http://www.cityofpensacola.com/live/art.asp?pageid=6573
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