Robert L. Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 8, 1938. He received the B.S. degree in combined sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, in 1960.He worked as a civilian Electronics Instructor for the U.S. Air Force in various radar and communication systems from 1962 until 1980. From 1980 to the present he has worked as an Electronic Technician for the Advanced Technology Branch of the Ocean Technology Division of the Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity at the National Space Technology Laboratory.