ALCOAST 120/20 - APR 2020 DEATH OF A FORMER VICE COMMANDANT

R 031325 APR 20
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//VCG//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N05360//
ALCOAST 120/20
COMDTNOTE 5360
SUBJ:  DEATH OF A FORMER VICE COMMANDANT
A. USCG Regulations, COMDTINST M5000.3 (series)
1. It is with great sadness that I announce the death of Vice Admiral Robert Henry
Scarborough, Jr., USCG (retired), 13th Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, who passed away on Friday, 20 March 2020 in Bethesda, MD, at the age of 97.
2. VADM Scarborough was born in Hawkinsville, Georgia and graduated from the United
States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) at Kings Point in 1944. Admiral Scarborough
was a 1963 graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and a 1971 graduate of the
National War College. He also earned business administration degrees from the
University of Hawaii and a Master of Science degree in International Affairs from the
George Washington University.
3. Entering the Coast Guard as a LT(jg) in 1949 following service as an officer in
the Navy and Merchant Marine, his Coast Guard assignments were in the fields
general operations, personnel, and public information. His career included diverse
tours both ashore and afloat, including Commanding Officer, CGC DIONE; Commander,
Group Sabine, TX; Executive Officer, Group Norfolk, VA; Staff Officer, Antisubmarine
Warfare Force Pacific and Chief, Enlisted Personnel Division at Coast Guard Headquarters.
4. Promoted to flag rank in 1974, his flag assignments included Chief, Office of
Operations; Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard; and Commander, Ninth Coast Guard District. He served as Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard from 1978 until his retirement in 1982. His awards include the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (2 awards), the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Coast Guard Commendation Medal.
5. In addition to his active-duty and wartime Merchant Marine service, he was Executive
Director of the Navy League and an active member of the USMMA Alumni Association
Government Affairs Committee.
6. ADM Scarborough is survived by his wife Walterene of 73 years, of Shawnee, Oklahoma; their two sons, Robert Henry III and James Burton; and four grandchildren; Julia, Dorothy, Helen and Robert Henry Scarborough IV.
7. Funeral services details and half-mast instructions will be sent via separate message. 
8. VADM Scarborough’s obituary can be found at:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/arlington-va/robert-scarborough-9093787.
9. ADM Charles Ray, Vice Commandant, sends.
10. Internet release is authorized.