According to the Monmouth College website, the award is given to alumni who have brought notable distinction to themselves through outstanding contributions and accomplishments in their chosen field.  To be a recipient they must also have exhibited leadership qualities and evidence of civic, cultural or charitable involvement.

In our opinion, Monmouth’s Alumni Board could not have made a better choice – Bob exhibits all of those qualities.

In accepting the award Bob said, “I had many people early in my life who helped me along the way.  I especially want to thank Dr. Sam Thompson, my philosophy professor, who helped me discover a never-ending awe of systems thinking and logic through my philosophy major.”  Bob credits that background for teaching him how to “THINK ON HIS OWN”.  He credits learning that one discipline for much of the success he has had in both his business and personal life.

Bob graduated from Monmouth College in 1970 with a Philosophy degree.  When asked why philosophy Bob said, “I was blessed with a mother that read and wrote novels and a busy lawyer for a dad.  So, I was free to go into the woods, explore ponds and rivers, play little league – unencumbered by helicoptering parents.  I was, and still am, a willful, disruptive, independent, semi-juvenile delinquent.  The perfect attributes that propelled me to obtain a BA in Philosophy at Monmouth”.

We also asked Bob why he chose Monmouth.  He said that during his junior year of high school the family was planning a driving trip to Chicago.  His mother suggested it wasn’t too soon for Bob to start checking out colleges, so they mapped out three colleges that were along the way the first one being Monmouth. When they got there Bob ran into the administration office and asked for information on the college.  The lady behind the desk put together a packet and asked Bob if he had taken his SAT’s.  Bob said he had and told her his score.  The lady said with that score if you apply at Monmouth you’ll get right in.  Bob decided then and there this was his college of choice.  The entire exchange took about two and a half minutes.

Congratulations on this well-deserved award, Bob.  You make us all proud to be part of the company that has benefited greatly from your “systems thinking and logic”.