Dr. Royal Stuart Foote
Dr. Royal Stuart Foote, 94, of El Cerrito, CA passed from this life early Sunday morning January 8, 2017. He was surrounded by his family in the home he loved for over fifty years.
Dr. Foote was born in Minnesota and raised in North Dakota with his sister Irene and his two brothers, Frank and Mark. He joined the National Guard when he was sixteen. In 1940 he transferred to the Navy where he became a naval aviator. During his cadet training he met Avonne, the love of his life. They married the day Royal earned his gold wings. During the war Royal served on search and rescue missions flying PBYs where he received a commendation. After the war he earned his degree in Physics at San Diego State and received a full scholarship to Cal Tech where he earned his master’s degree in Geology. He left San Diego to work for the Atomic Energy Commission locating uranium deposits throughout the world. After a first-hand view of the destructive force of the atomic bomb, he left the AEC to begin several business ventures including a shale oil mine in Colorado, aerospace research in Texas, and scientific instrumentation in California. After a stint at Bechtel, Royal had an epiphany and went back to university for his PhD in Psychology at the Wright Institute in Berkeley where he began his lifelong career in social systems, working with his mentor, Nevitt Sanford. In 1975, he and his partner Barry Phegan, created the Meridian Group, a consulting firm that worked to create cooperation, communication, and transparency at several major US corporations. His love and understanding and his drive to deepen social relationships gained the respect of both labor and management. Some of his clients included Anheuser-Busch, Chevron, and the California Public Utilities Commission. After his retirement in 1997, he focused on building relationships wherever he happened to be. He and Avonne became more active in the Universalist Unitarian Church of Berkeley where they had been long-standing members and where he founded the Atheist Group. He became a regular on 4th Street in Berkeley where he stopped for coffee at Peet’s, lunch at Café M or Bette’s Oceanview Diner, and some ice cream, of course. During his perambulations he delighted in engaging the world. His love of music and, in particular, of dance, found him involved in many activities in the community including sponsoring the Occupy Movement.
Royal is survived by his three daughters, Alison Nordholm of Greenwich, CT, Renee Been of Seligman, AZ, and Karen Stockton of El Cerrito, CA, his six grandchildren, his six great-grandchildren, and all of the wonderful people he touched and influenced throughout his life. In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to the ACLU, where Royal was a proud, lifelong member.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00am, Saturday, February 11, 2017, at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Berkeley, One Lawson Rd, Kensington, CA. All are welcome to join in the celebration of Royal’s life and love. The bird is on the wing.