Head of Progress Energy, former naval officer, Naval Academy Grad dies of stroke

As reported here:

Employees at Progress Energy's headquarters in downtown Raleigh were grieving Tuesday after learning that their popular CEO, a gentleman who insisted that everyone call him Bob, died after suffering a stroke.

Bob McGehee, who was on a business trip in London when he became ill, died Tuesday. He underwent surgery at Charing Cross Hospital but never regained consciousness.

"You see a lot of people crying," said William Johnson, the company's acting CEO, who teared up when talking about his friend and mentor Tuesday afternoon. "He had an ability to connect with people that was just uncanny."
***
"I know many people who are great legal talents, or great engineering talents," said Sherwood H. Smith Jr., a former CEO of Progress Energy. "I think Bob had the greatest blend of engineering and legal talent that I have ever seen." McGehee studied engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy.

EDUCATION: B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy, 1966; law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, 1973
MILITARY SERVICE: Served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy on a nuclear submarine, the USS John Marshall.

It's worth reminding everyone of the symptoms of a stroke using the FAST guidelines:

Act F.A.S.T.

FACE
Ask the person to smile.
Does one side of the face droop?

ARMS
Ask the person to raise both arms.
Does one arm drift downward?

SPEECH
Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence.
Are the words slurred? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly?

TIME
If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important.
Call 911 or get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying.

Strokes generally are not painful for the victim and they may lead to confusion that causes the victim not to be capable of self-rescue. Watch for the following:

Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg - especially on one side of the body.

Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.

Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.

Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

When in doubt, get the person to the emergency room.