Bob Bishop (1971) was quiet and shy in high school. It

wasn’t until he came to Hinds Community College that

he got the confidence boost he needed to forge what

would soon be a very successful career in journalism

and

“I came to Hinds and grew up all of a sudden,” he said.

“I was actually treated like an adult. For the first time in

my life, I believed that I could accomplish something. I

had arrived.”

Bishop got his associate degree in general studies

before attending the University of Southern Mississippi

(USM) where he received his bachelor’s degree in

communications.

While at Hinds, he was editor of The Hindsonian, the

twice monthly student newspaper. He was also the

executive editor of USM’s twice-weekly student

newspaper, The Student Printz, his senior year.

In 1973, Bishop got a job as a staff writer at The Daily

Herald (which is now known as the Sun-Herald), the

state’s second largest daily newspaper based in

Gulfport-Biloxi.

From there, he took his second, and last, job in

journalism as the Southern California bureau chief for

Electronic News, a national weekly business

newspaper. Based in Los Angeles, he covered

developments in a burgeoning semiconductor industry

that led to the prevalence of today’s personal electronic

devices.

ALUMNI NEWS

Hinds alum tells story of America in space

“Whether it means holding news media briefings at the

National Press Club in Washington, D.C., or working

alongside reporters covering satellite launches at Cape

Canaveral, my job means using every means possible to

publicize the quality of the spacecraft we design and

build for the U.S. military and for NASA,” he said.

Primarily, Bishop manages all communications,

internally and externally, for four main categories of

satellites: military communications, missile defense,

space telescopes and climate monitoring.

The Space Park campus is where some of the nation’s

most advanced, and sometimes secretive, spacecraft are

designed and built, according to Bishop.

“Satellites developed here have explored faraway

planets, provided space-based telecommunications for

troops on the battlefield and spied on enemies’ fortified

defense enclaves,” he said.

Through his many years of reporting and writing,

Bishop looks back to Hinds as the start of it all.

“I’m passionate about journalism because it allows me

to be a story teller,” he said. “Whether the stories are

about America’s success in space or manufacturing

capabilities that help keep our country strong, the

stories are compelling. It’s an honor to help tell those

stories. The first journalism course I took at Hinds was

key to realizing the rewards from a career in

communications.”

In 1989, Bishop broke into the technology business

and accepted the position of Public Information

Officer for the California Manufacturing Technology

Consortium, a public-private partnership to improve

the quality and productivity of the state’s small

manufacturers.

His next career step took him to Northrop Grumman

Corporation, spending four years initially at the

corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. He

subsequently transferred to the Aerospace Systems

sector in Redondo Beach, Calif., a major

manufacturer of military and scientific satellites.

FALL 2014 HINDSIGHT 11