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Bob and Melissa Hernandez have been community members at Arrowhead since May, 2008. They came up here to visit a good friend and business associate of Bob’s in January of that year, got stuck in that year’s big snow and fell in love with Arrowhead. That ambassador for Arrowhead was none other than Ralph Ambruster!
The plan that fateful day was to go to the hot springs at Ouray. They only made it as far as the Arrowhead Real Estate building and meeting Lucia Lebon!
Besides being the new president of the AIA Board, Bob is a graduate of West Point, the Naval War College and Georgia Tech. He spent the majority of his Army career at the Pentagon, where he was on the team that developed the military’s internet system, Army Knowledge Online (AKO). After retiring, he worked for Sun Microsystems, Apple and now Oracle.
It was on a regular business trip for Apple that his and Melissa’s futures crossed in 2006. Melissa was a Department of Defense art teacher for 20 years, stationed in Sicily, Grafenwoehr, Germany and Mannheim, Germany, who just happened to use Apple computers. Bob was the Apple Federal Rep who invited the Apple users out that evening. Other dinners and a tour of Heidelberg ensued, followed by many an iChat between Heidelberg and Virginia. Bob convinced Melissa to come visit him in N. Virginia outside of Washington D.C. that summer.
Invited to dinner with friends, Bob turned to Melissa in the car outside and said, “I’m tired of introducing you as my girlfriend. Let’s get married so I can introduce you as my fiancée!”
They have a daughter, Senya, who is a Senior at Montrose High School. Senya has traveled extensively, being born in St. Petersburg, Russia, living with Melissa for 11 years in Germany, then DC and finally here in Colorado.
The community at Arrowhead has instilled a spirit of volunteerism in both Melissa and Bob. Melissa is the current AVFD Secretary and Bob has served on the AIA board since August of 2009. Both are active volunteers with the Arrowhead Snowmobile Club.
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