Robert N. and Clara "Peggy" Broomfield Sears photograph collection, 1864-1994

Robert Needham "Bob" Sears (1915-1995) was born to illustrator John S. "Jack" Sears and Florence Scholes in New York City. The family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah when Bob Sears was a child. He received his B.A. from the University of Utah in 1936 and his M.B.A. from Harvard in 1938. Robert Sears married Clara Lorraine "Peggy" Broomfield on 1 December 1941; together, they had three children.

In 1957, Sears joined the Wasatch Oil Company as assistant to the president. The company was acquired by Phillips Petroleum Company. Sears retired from the Phillips Petroleum Company as senior vice president in 1979. He was also a director of American Oil Co. in Kuwait for 12 years and was president of Phillips Investment Co. and Phillips Petroleum International Investment Co. Other directorships included appointments to boards governing WRFM in New York, KSL in Salt Lake City and Zions Bancorporation in Salt Lake City. He was elected a director in 1970 and served the company until his retirement in 1979. From 1972 to 1976, Sears was chairman of the National Advisory Council for the College of Business at Brigham Young University. Robert N. "Bob" Sears died on May 18, 1995.

Source: Deseret News. (1995, May 20). Robert Needham Sears, Former Oil Executive, Dies. Deseret News. https://www.deseret.com/1995/5/20/19213429/robert-needham-sears-former-oil-executive-dies/