Sunday, December 15, 2024
Dear Sean and Mary,
Belatedly, I am sending you my condolences for the loss of your father and one of my life's best friends. Bob invited me to join him at Hanover Elementary School where he was volunteering when we were at Dartmouth. My career as an educator, with many thanks to him, began that day. Bob and I immersed ourselves in the literature of educational reform during our junior and senior years. In 1975 he was a groomsman at our wedding and helped me don my tux and bow tie. I treasure a picture of him from that day. Through letters and emails we kept in touch for many years and lately I had hoped I might swing through West Virginia to see him. Now I regret not having done so. I have never known a kinder, gentler, upbeat person, nor anyone with a deeper intellect, nor anyone more committed to caring for others. His grief at the loss of his beloved Christine was extraordinary, but not long afterwards he was comforting me during a crisis in my life. A few years ago Charlie Shockey visited me and we gave Bob a call. He was just beginning to work as a "snuggler" with struggling newborns. I will live my remaining years regretting that I did not make a journey to see him in West Virginia. His life gave testimony to God's love being present on Earth.
