Gillespie remembers Fink as a person with tremendous dedication and commitment. “He had extreme focus,” says Gillespie, “and a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish in his career.” Fink grew up in Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a Regular Army Commission as an Engineer Officer in 1984.

He served 10 years on active duty with assignments in Korea , Turkey , and eight states. He was, at various stages of his service, a platoon leader, a company executive officer, a battalion staff officer, a company commander, and a brigade staff officer.  He joined ARL as a civilian in 1994. 

Tributes to Fink began pouring in as soon as the news of his death was released. The Editor of the AMPTIAC Quarterly , of which Fink was a sponsor, wrote, “Fink was a highly accomplished man—whether as an engineer, scholar, manager, or soldier; he served his country, his profession, his peers, and his community with distinction, having risen rapidly in each forum, with the trust and respect of those around him. His entire adult life was a testament of his drive to excel. A complete listing of his achievements would require many more pages than are available here.”

Fink earned more than 30 technical awards, including the Paul Siple Award for the best paper at the Army Science Conference as well as the US Army Research and Development Achievement Award. He is credited with establishing a new way of approaching materials research within ARL so that it was more focused on the soldier. As Chief of the Materials Division of ARL's Weapons and Materials Research Directorate in the late 1990s, Fink was responsible for reorganizing the Materials Division along functional rather than disciplinary lines—a permanent structural shift that left his signature on the organization.

Although lists of awards and publications, descriptions of organizational restructurings, and highlights of research projects can chronicle a career, they don't tell the story of a man. Fink left a legacy not simply by putting a broad stamp on an organization, but by building that organization, person by person.

In talking about Fink, Gillespie cites a quote by Army Gen. Harold K. Johnson: “The Army is like a funnel. At the top, you pour doctrine, resources, concepts, equipment, and facilities. And out the bottom comes one lone soldier walking point.”

“That's how Bruce lived his life and directed his career,” says Gillespie. “He worked from the top doing high-level research and technology transfer, but the welfare of the individual soldier was always at the forefront for Bruce. He never lost sight of that as his primary mission.”

Fink saw himself as both servant and leader. Although some might view this as an unusual juxtaposition of roles, Fink managed to balance them flawlessly. His view of leadership was not authoritarian but instead encompassed concepts like open dialogue and participation by all. He knew that change was inevitable, especially during a shift in leadership, but he did not believe in imposing change for change's sake.  “My job is to provide a better situation for you all to do your work,” he told his employees.

Steve McKnight, Chief of the Multifunctional Materials Branch at ARL, knew Fink first as a fellow graduate student at CCM and then as a colleague. Roles later shifted again, and Fink became McKnight's supervisor. The two were also close friends. “The Bruce that we all knew and loved was filled with enthusiasm, drive, and passion for the soldier,” says McKnight. “That's how I'll always remember him.”

“Even when he was focused on performing long-term fundamental research at CCM,” McKnight continues, “Bruce was always trying to figure out how what we were doing could help the soldier fight effectively and come home safely.” According to McKnight, one of Fink's greatest contributions was his ability to establish links among all of the players contributing to that mission—including university labs, industry, Army RDECs, and across ARL.

Gillespie cites the Tuskegee University Consortium as a perfect example of Bruce's team-building and -management accomplishments. A five-year effort led by the Center for Advanced Materials at Tuskegee , the multidisciplinary research consortium focused on manufacturing and product-performance evaluation of polymer-matrix composites for integral armor applications.

The team included two Army Centers of Excellence at major universities, two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), ARL, and industry. Fink played a major role in coordinating the educational and technology transfer exchange that took place under the aegis of this consortium from 1995 to 2000. He also, with Gillespie, helped create the first Ph.D. program at TU and served on the dissertation committees of the first two graduates of the program.  

“Bruce was excellent at identifying good people, putting them in positions where they could achieve, and then developing their technical and interpersonal skills,” McKnight says. “When he became my supervisor, I worried about how that might change our personal and professional relationship, but I quickly learned that Bruce led and supervised people in such a way that they never even knew they were being counseled or mentored—all of a sudden, they just realized that they were achieving at a higher level than they had been before.”

Like McKnight, ARL Research Engineer Travis Bogetti shared a long history with Fink. Originally graduate students together at CCM, they also spent time in residence together at the Center before Fink relocated to Aberdeen . Bogetti, who still works out of CCM, recalls the tremendous force of Fink's personality and the energy he brought to everything he did. “Bruce knew how to make things happen, but he always did it in a positive way,” Bogetti says. “He was kind to everyone no matter what their level or status, and he treated everyone with respect.”

Gillespie cites Fink's rare combination of excellence on the research and technology side as well as on the leadership side. “His discipline and vision enabled him to flourish in both arenas,” Gillespie says. “I knew early on that he was a rare individual—as co-advisor of his doctoral work, I was amazed at his ability to finish his Ph.D. in three years, completing a high-quality research project and documenting it in his dissertation.”

Now retired, Gary Hagnauer recalls the relocation of the Army Research Laboratory's Materials Directorate (ARL-MD) from Watertown, Massachusetts, first to temporary quarters in Delaware in 1995 and then to a new state-of-the-art facility in Aberdeen, Maryland, two years later. Formerly a senior research scientist with ARL-MD, Hagnauer credits Fink with helping to smooth the transition and elevate ARL to its current position as one of the best government labs in the United States .

“Bruce was a key element in that transition,” says Hagnauer, “and he realized that we were entering a new era of cooperative research and technology. Our goal at the time was to promote coordination and integration of UD and ARL programs and thereby maximize research productivity and benefits to the Army. Bruce was a huge factor in our ability to do that and a major contributor's to ARL's current reputation. He was a leader and scientist who had a practical and comprehensive understanding of Army materiel needs.  Bruce's vision and hard work paid off in a legacy that will benefit the Army for years to come.”

Despite the commitments of his busy career, Fink found time for community activities. He was in charge of the endowment fund at St. Paul 's Lutheran Church and also served as an usher. In addition, he was involved in activities with his children.

“Bruce Fink was well regarded professionally,” Gillespie concludes, “but, just as important, he was well liked personally. We will all miss him and the passion he brought to his work and to his life. He accomplished more in 42 years than most people do in twice that much time.”

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