Robert W. “Bob” Brehme joined Wake Forest in 1959 after earning his Ph.D. at UNC-Chapel Hill under relativist Bryce DeWitt. He taught introductory physics, mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and graduate relativity. Colleagues remembered how he filled the blackboard with a carefully ordered derivation and reached the final equation just as class ended. Wake Forest awarded him the Jon Reinhardt Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1995. He retired that year and continued teaching without pay for three more years.

Brehme’s research ranged from general relativity to physics education. His 1960 paper with DeWitt resolved a problem involving radiation from charged particles in general relativity, and his later work developed diagrams that helped students understand special relativity. He coauthored Introduction to the Theory of Relativity, which used Brehme diagrams to explain special relativity. Bob spent 39 years on the Physics faculty and was known for his quick wit, sharp mind, and willingness to explain physics to anyone who asked.