Obituary: Robert Flood

Retired municipal bond underwriter and trader Robert Flood, who in the late 1970s was the head underwriter in Merrill Lynch & Co.’s Dallas office, died Monday after being admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. He was 80. Mr. Flood began his career in the muni market in the early 1950s at Blyth, Eastman Dillon & Co., where he was a trader. After moving to C.J. Devine & Co., he joined the municipal bond group at Merrill when it bought C.J. Devine in 1964. He retired from the industry in the early 1990s.Prior to his career in the muni market, Mr. Flood served as a pilot at the end of World War II and later joined the Air Force reserves. He was called back to duty during the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam.Mr. Flood was known for his collegiality, fun-loving nature, and frequent visits to the Wall Street hot spot Harry’s for martinis — straight-up with green olives.“He was the sweetest man you’d ever want to meet,” said Charlie Lechner, a former underwriter who worked with Mr. Flood at Merrill and considered him a close friend. “I never ever heard anybody say anything bad about him.”While the two played hard together, they worked hard, too, Lechner said.“Many nights, while we were underwriting city bonds, we were up there allocating bonds until 3 or 4 in the morning,” Lechner said.Mr. Flood’s funeral will be held today at 11 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Seton Roman Catholic Church in Plano, Tex.The family asks that people send donations to the Lieut. Col. Robert J. Flood Memorial Fund in lieu of flowers. They ask that interested parties send the donations to 3404 Single Tree Terrace, Plano, Tex., 75023. This memorial fund will help support U.S. veterans, Lechner said.Mr. Flood is survived by his wife Gioia and four children.