Necrology

Robert Frank Kuhling, Jr. '71

Nov. 25, 1948-May. 14, 2024

Robert Frank Kuhling, Jr. ’71 died on May 14, 2024, at his home in Palo Alto, Calif. Born in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 25, 1948, he came to Hamilton from the St. John Country Day School in Orange Park, Fla. On the Hill, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and graduated with honors in his major, economics.

From Hamilton, Rob first entered the business world by going to work for Charter Co., then based in his hometown and at the time a conglomerate of more than 150 subsidiaries divided into three groups: oil refining, insurance, and communication. In 1978, Rob received a special assignment from the company: to develop, operate, and ultimately sell a golf course and country club in Houston, where Charter owned an oil refinery. 

That same year, Rob left Charter for the Harvard Business School where he earned an MBA in 1980. After spending a summer in the U.S. Virgin Islands, he took a position with the Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm, where he oversaw the development of business strategies. In 1983, he left to become vice president and manager of the Electronic Products and Marketing Division of GE Calma, a vendor of digitizers and minicomputer-based graphics systems targeted at the cartographic, electronic, mechanical, and architectural design markets. In 1986, he moved on to Sun Microsystems, Inc., to become director of marketing, focusing on electronic design engineering.

In 1987, Rob became a general partner in the venture capital firm Onset Ventures, in Palo Alto, his home for the rest of his life. He specialized in investing in technology companies that develop medical devices as well as those involved in healthcare, communication, and networking. Rob met Michelle Wilcox in the spring of 1987, and they were married in fall of 1988.

As Onset Ventures flourished, so did Rob. By 2012, 25 years after he became a partner, the company had invested in 55 companies. But there was more to Rob than his work as a venture capitalist. He and Michelle became avid travelers with a special interest in seeking out and collecting fine wines. From an early age he had a passion for automobiles, both fast cars and vintage models. He was also an amateur chef. Growing up on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, he naturally enjoyed surfing, water skiing, diving, and sailing. On land, he was a runner and, later in life, a snow skier.

Though he never returned for a class reunion, Rob kept a close eye on the College, corresponding with a succession of presidents as well as alumni officers. He was a generous supporter of the Hamilton Fund as well as several capital campaigns, and donated funds to support the Computer Science Department. His generosity is reflected in the fact that in 2013, he and Michelle became Joel Bristol Associates. Following Bob’s death, Michelle informed the College of her intention to establish the Robert Frank Kuhling, Jr. Scholarship in his memory.

Robert F. Kuhling is survived by his wife, stepmother, numerous step-siblings, as well as their spouses and children.

Necrology Home