Celebrate Life - Robert (Bob) Simpson
Channel: Town Meeting TV
Date: 2023-11-10

From Gary De Carolis:

Five words that describe Bob: Honest, Respectable, Hardworking, Congenial and Thoughtful.

Born on January 25th 1936, Robert Burns anniversary, in the second room of his great grandmother's two room and kitchen home. In those days the doctor made house calls. Bob's parents were going to call him Robert Burns Simpson, honouring his grandfather on his mother's side, but decided that might sound like they were suggesting some link to the Poet. Early memory of Bob's great grandmother was that she enjoyed having him bouncing around at the bottom of her bed. She was bedridden.

On January 26th 1939, Bob got a younger brother, Johnny, and his parents, Robert and Margaret, had a ginger nut and a blond separated by three years and one day. War was declared on September of that year and in 1940, Dad had to go into the army, leaving Mum to raise two young children on the meagre pittance that was allowed to her by His Majesty's government. She had to take some kind of job and was fortunate enough to find work at the local Empire Theatre [movie house]. When Bob and his brother were a little older they could go the pictures [movies] free. Bob went to Glengowan Primary School where he lapped up every morsel of knowledge the teachers gave him and earned the Dux Medal on graduating. It was in those years that he developed a love of football [Soccer] and played on the school team and anywhere else he could. Dad surprised him with a pair of football boots and a size 2 ball and all the kids in the neighbourhood suddenly appeared. It was great fun. From dawn to dusk they played football, with an old tennis ball til he got the proper ball.

At age 11 Bob went to high school, Larkhall Academy, and started preparing to be a teacher, taking English, French, Latin, Science, Math, History, and Geography with a couple of classes in Music and Gym thrown in for good measure. He was awarded the Memorial medal after his 3rd year, but then he discovered girls - in particular the Lovely Isobel - whom he met when they both were doing a Kinderspiel at Chalmers Church. She had just come back from 9 months in the USA living with her Aunt in Miami, and also in NY state at a hotel there where they worked the summers. Her good looks and slight American drawl captivated Bob and he married her in June, 1957.

From November '55 til November '57, Bob was in the RAF doing his service duty. He quite enjoyed those two years. The camaraderie was good and, of course, they all played football as much as possible. Bob also took up golf. He was never outstanding in either sport but they are still with him as he watches on TV and plays an occasional round. He can't run like he used to and so football is now spectator only.

After doing 3 Kinderspiels he joined the Drama club and did one-act plays and joined the church choir, singing tenor there til he came to the States in '61. In his final year of College he did "Midsummer Night's Dream", playing Lysander.

With Isobel having seen the US and having family here, the couple decided to emigrate and came here in 1961, with Bob prepared to take a teaching position. The Principal at East Brunswick wasn't looking for an English teacher, Bob's major, but needed a Math teacher, one of his minors, and wanted to expose the students to as many cultures as he could. A Jamaican teaching Spanish, a German teaching what else, and a Scot teaching Math. Since Bob hadn't trained as a Math teacher it was heavy going for a while, but he was doing 8th and 9th grade general math so he soon got the hang of things and teaching was fun. Firstly off orientation he met Whitey Waldov and Leon Florek, the soccer coaches. He remembers Whitey said "Get a crew cut and shave close and we'll put you on the team". Bob looked like a High School senior...

Full Description:
https://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/robert-bob-simpson

10/13/2023

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