Robert L Pfaltzgraff Jr., of Wayne, a presidential advisor and international relations expert, died Nov. 17 at 89, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

An author and expert on international relations, crisis management, homeland security, missile defense, space strategy, and other global concerns, he “demonstrated the impact one individual could have on shaping global perspectives,” stated a former colleague.

Mr. Pfaltzgraff, born in Yeadon, graduated from Yeadon High School and later Swarthmore College.

He was a member of President Ronald Reagan’s defense advisory team in the 1980s and offered foreign policy advice to President George W. Bush in the 1990s.

He was a professor emeritus of International Security Studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Pfaltzgraff was the founder of the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis in Massachusetts and a senior research staffer at the Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute.

In 2002, he established and co-chaired the Independent Working Group that looked at missile defense.

“He was a guiding force, a teacher, practitioner, thought leader, and policy influencer in the field of international security,” said Richard Shultz, director of the International Security Studies Program at Tufts.

Find out more about the life of Robert L Pfaltzgraff Jr. in The Philadelphia Inquirer.