Bob Lair

By Donald Hubele

Amid the crushing swirl of holiday obligations, you may not have even noticed. On December 4, the bleak mid-winter of northeast Ohio became a shade grayer, the chill a bit more discomfiting.
 
A prince—Dr. Bob Lair, Professor Emeritus of English at Malone University—passed from among us.
 
Dr. Lair taught far more than his beloved Sophocles or Shakespeare––he hammered out meaning and significance to life’s roles of husband, father, grandfather, believer, consoler, friend.
 
He was the only true Renaissance man whom I have known. Classical pianist. Poet. Thespian. Playwright. Lover of dogs. Author. Pastor. Linguist. Translator. Entrepreneur. Gardener. Curator and collector—especially of the hearts of most whom he had met. Bob was an artist whose best medium was people. Bob wasn’t just the life of the party; he was the party.
 
Throughout all his vocations and avocations, he kept before us the things that will matter forever.
 
Bob’s dear wife Zovie reigns as an exemplar of beauty, grace, and class. Her loss, however, seems inconsolable. Yet just a little while, and we shall meet him anew in a place unencumbered by time or grief. And the party will be at Bob’s place.
 
Dr. Donald Hubele
Chair, English department
Belhaven College
Jackson, Mississippi
1.800.521.1146