Bob Corey, who passed on February 28, 2011, came to OWU in September 1954, and pledged Theta chapter of Beta Theta Pi, following his brother Chuck who had graduated in June of that year. Bob was from NYC and was 21 when he arrived after working to get enough money to enter college. Bob, Dee Simpson and myself were put together by the chapter at Eckelberry’s up the street from the old chapter house at 54 West Lincoln. Bob was easy to like and had a great sense of humor. He worked in the kitchen to help pay his board. On weekends he and I worked at the Elk’s Club together in the bar to provide for spending money. This work continued by our working together through our senior year at the Surrey/Suns bar downtown.
Bob was a very good tennis and basketball player but played mostly intramural Greek competition, which Theta excelled at. At the end of his Junior year he dropped ROTC to avoid the three year committment and took his chances with the draft in New York. (Korea was winding down.) As we got nearer to graduation we found ourselves dating best girl friends and we were both married before the end of summer of 1954. Those friendships lasted our lifetimes.
Bob’s luck with his draft board ran out and he was on his way to the Army as a lowly Private, but he got the last laugh by volunteering to accept an assignment at Walter Reed Army Hospital, where he became the Non Com in charge of the Health Center and Pool for the Base personnel. He used to saythat meant checking the water chemistry in the pool three times a day.
Once out of the service he applied for a job at The National Geographic Society in Washington D.C. He spent his whole working career there rising to be Vice President in charge of Procurement. He and his family loved living in the Maryland area. When retired he and Ann moved to Las Vegas where they enjoyed the desert and Bob’s passion for golf. Bob was a great Beta and Brother. He put back to his friends and Theta chapter all that he ever asked of them. I miss our many visits and the happy phone contacts that we had over the years.
Dick DeVos ’54
Bob Corey ’54, Tom Tatham ’56, Jack Mathews ’54 —Lunch at a Las
Vegas casino 2004.
Bob Corey ’54 — Another pinning “ritual”. Looks like Shrader, Miller, DeVos,
and Cotner with Corey — all from class ’54.
Speak Your Mind