In 1956 Bob was transferred back to the States as a sales trainer in New Jersey and Ohio, and was soon hired by Ayerst Laboratories as a sales training manager. He held sales conferences in both English and Spanish in South Africa, Australia, the Philippines, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.In 1967 Bob was named vice president of Ayerst International, in charge of Asia and Australia. This territory was extended from Turkey to Japan and all in between. For the next few years Bob traveled extensively, establishing distributorships in the Southeast Asian countries. In 1973 Mexico was added to his responsibilities, and he was then named executive vice president of Ayerst International. The president of Ayerst retired in 1974, and Bob was named to succeed him as president and chief operating officer. Bob was now the head of 1,800 employees scattered around the world.Internal company politics forced Bob’s early retirement in 1978 but, not ready to “hang it up” yet, he formed his own company, Borntex International, Inc., a management consulting firm specializing in the pharmaceutical and health care industries. Bob’s firm prospered and he served as president and CEO until 1989, when he felt it was time to retire. He sold his interest in the company and retired exactly 50 years after his SPUHS graduation.Bob’s life has been lived to the fullest, he has accomplished his every ambition and seen more of the world than he could ever have possibly imagined.
Robert Bustamante, Class of 1939
July 13, 2001
Santa Paula High School
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By B. J. Harding, President, SPUHS Alumni Association
Biography #145 (Have you submitted yours?)Jose and Angelita Villa Bustamante were blessed with six children. They were Robert (‘39), Alice (‘41), Josephine (‘43), Hortense (‘44), Helen (‘50) and Edward (‘52).Our subject Robert was very active at SPUHS, being in the band, Music Club, Explorers Club, International Club, on the Student Body Council, and a member of the basketball and track teams. He has fond memories of coaches Bill Bauer and Walter Coultas and principal Freeman Eakin.Following graduation Robert went to Ventura Junior College, and in 1942 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Signal Corps for training as a high speed radio operator. He was then sent to the Pentagon for a stint at Station W-A-R. It was here that Bob applied to the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and was sent to Rutgers University for special training. It was here that he fell in love with Doris Vogel, and they were soon married.Typical of the Army, the ASTP program was canceled weeks before completion and Bob was sent to Colorado Springs, Colorado assigned to the 104th Infantry, Timberwolf Division. His destination was Cherbourg, France, and two weeks after arrival his unit engaged the enemy. This began 195 consecutive days of combat without relief which included the liberation of Brussels, Holland, Antwerp, and into Germany for the “Battle of the Bulge.” The Timberwolves then conquered Cologne, crossed the Rhine to Remagen, and met the Russian Army at Torgau, Germany in April of 1945.Bob was discharged from the Army in November of 1945, and returned to New Brunswick, New Jersey to his wife and a clerk job with Johnson & Johnson with the understanding that he would be considered for overseas sales work. This opportunity opened and he was sent to Lima, Peru which gave him the opportunity of becoming totally fluent in Spanish. The countries of Chile and Bolivia were added to his responsibilities, and he became involved in the American Legion, Masonic Lodge and Chamber of Commerce in Lima.
