With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of CCJ founder, known to most as “Bob”
Robert G. “Bob” Schwieger, born April 30, 1943, in the Bronx, NY, passed away unexpectedly in Las Vegas, NV, on August 6, 2025, at the age of 82. For those of us fortunate enough to be dazzled by his rare combination of engineering knowledge, wordsmithing skills, steadfast ideals, and yet, somehow, carefree personality—count yourself among the privileged.
What made Bob, “The Bob,” began long before he dedicated more than fifty years to the global power generation industry, where his vision and voice became synonymous with technical excellence, practical knowledge-sharing, unwavering journalistic integrity, innovation, and, perhaps most of all, community building.
Makings of “The Bob”
Born and raised in the Parkchester section of the Bronx to parents August and Josephine, Bob displayed an extraordinary curiosity for all areas of learning. His strong work ethic emerged early, beginning with his first job as a meat delivery boy at the age of 10. As a teenager (maybe even before!), he discovered a deep passion for journalism, rising through the ranks to serve as editor-in-chief of The Clinton News, the distinguished newspaper of DeWitt-Clinton High School. His aptitude for math and science eventually guided him toward a career as a marine engineer.
After graduating from SUNY Maritime (Fort Schuyler) in 1964, the newly minted boiler engineer—known to classmates as “Radio Free Europe”—embarked on a merchant ship adventure, laying the first long-distance telephone cable across the Pacific, from Hawaii to Japan, via Midway, Wake, and Guam. Life at sea, however, was not for this city boy.
Ashore, he spent a few years at the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission as a safety inspector before marrying his wife Jessica and joining Westinghouse’s Advanced Reactors Division in Pittsburgh. In 1969, he was summoned back to his first love, journalism, beginning a distinguished 33-year career at McGraw-Hill. There, he rose from Assistant Editor of Power Magazine to Vice President and Editorial Director of McGraw-Hill’s global energy magazines, conferences, and technical publications. His leadership shaped more than 15 respected journals—Power, Electrical World, Electric Power International, Global Energy Business—as well as numerous international conferences, industry workshops, awards programs, and specialized publications.
Reflections on a Most Esteemed Colleague
Bob was an innovator and a pioneer, notes Jason Makansi of Pearl Street, who worked for, then with, Bob for 44 years. “While the user community certainly understood and embraced his uncanny ability to create community, users may not appreciate what it was like to have him as a boss, instead of a peer. Simply put, he was the best boss you could ask for.”
He and his team constantly started up new editorial products, often collaborating with other McGraw-Hill publications, engineering societies, and industry trade groups. He encouraged his editors to work at home long before the term “telecommuting” entered the lexicon. He initiated an on-line digital news service for the power industry when the concept of an “e-zine” was a gleam in the eyes of the digital revolutionaries. Some may even remember printing Electric Power NewsLink out to read it in the late 1990s!
Bob was a brilliant manager of employees. He didn’t suffer fools, but once you proved yourself and gained his trust, he would go to bat for you in every way possible, support your pursuit of new ideas and products and ways of improving how things got done. If you had personal issues to deal with, he figured out how to work with you. He got the very best out of people and he didn’t have to go to management school, read the Harvard Business Review, or make sure you had “the right credentials” to do it. It came naturally. He was always willing to insert himself between you and the ump.
Life at sea may not have agreed with him but he knew how to look way ahead at that 90 deg bend in the creek (often with rapids) coming up and making sure the boat turn was smooth.
Teams, community, relationships, empowerment, initiative, equity, entrepreneurial…these are words the corporate world bandies about like so many nickels and pennies collecting in your change drawer. But “The Bob” knew how to put those concepts into practice. Around my house with my spouse and two daughters, or with extended family, co-workers, clients, and partners who were fortunate enough to meet him, that’s how we referred to him: The Bob. Because there is only one. Even if you met him just once, you never forget him.
Though Bob was larger than life, he never forgot his roots or the people around him. I was fortunate enough to have visited him in Las Vegas in June. Among my parting words to him were, “Bob, I just wanted to thank you in person for all that you’ve done for me and my career,” and he quickly replied, “not nearly as much as you’ve done for mine.” That’s the kind of guy The Bob is. But in truth we should all thank him for what he contributed to our careers and our industry over close to six decades. Like a beloved baseball broadcaster, he was truly the voice of the power industry and that voice will stay in my head for the rest of my days like a favorite song or melody.
Guys like The Bob perhaps leave an especially indelible mark in today’s times. Because while he may have been larger than life, he never, as we liked to say down in the southern town where I grew up, “got too big for his britches.”
The CCJ Years
In 2003, Bob returned to his “deckplates” roots and founded the Combined Cycle Journal (CCJ), dedicated to advancing knowledge in powerplant technology, operations, maintenance, and best practices at gas-turbine sites. Together with his son Scott, Bob built CCJ into the unquestioned leading resource for gas-turbine and combined-cycle professionals. Their mission—transferring expertise among engineers, operators, and plant managers to improve safety, efficiency, and performance—remains unparalleled in the industry.
Longtime friend Dr. Robert Mayfield, plant manager at Westmoreland Generating Station, said it best: “Bob will always be admired not only for his professional expertise but also for his warmth, wit, and generosity. Many will remember him as a mentor, a truth-seeker, and a friend who made everyone feel seen and heard. His conversations were as rich in humor as they were in insight, and his ability to inspire others left a lasting legacy in both industry and personal circles.”
Fare Thee Well, Good Man
Bob is survived by his wife, Jessica, and sons Robert, Clark, and Scott. He will also be deeply missed by the worldwide community of colleagues and friends whose lives he touched.
Thanks and blessings to our extended family—the user group community and the many supporters of CCJ over the past two decades. This includes, but is not limited to, all the Power Users Groups, the HRSG Forum, 501F, 501G, 501D-D5A, Western Turbine, AOG, CTOTF, and countless others across the power industry who believe in our mission. As longtime partners at WTUI expressed: “Bob truly made the industry better with his involvement. He was a true friend and will be sorely missed.”
A memorial service will be held at the upcoming Power Users Annual Conference on August 26 at 6:30pm, Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC. Friends are welcome to share anecdotes from decades of fruitful exchanges. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that colleagues honor Bob by mentoring the next generation of power generation professionals, continuing his mission of sharing best practices, asking questions, and fostering growth in the power industry.
Rest in peace, Bob. You’re the best dad, basketball coach, hiking buddy, and boss anyone could ask for. Best Of the Best…
