Robert A. "Bob" Hamburg

Bob Hamburg

Most people reading this probably didn't know or don't remember Bob. You may be wondering why he's here, on his own memorial page. The answer is because Bob, in a very real sense, is the reason this Web site exists. Here's the short form of the story:

In 1963 I was a student in high school and found myself sharing a table in a biology class with Bob Hamburg. Out of that chance meeting grew a rare friendship that stood the test of time. We went on double dates together, learned to fly together, earned our A&P mechanic's licenses together and, most important of all, hung out at The Garret together. You see, it was Bob who introduced me to The Garret, setting my feet on a path that has led to more friendships, experiences and adventures than I can easily count, including the creation of this Web site. Probably most of the things I've been and done in my life can, at their roots, be traced back to The Garret and thus to Bob.

Over the years, changing tastes and diverging interests caused us to drift apart and see less of each other, but the fundamental friendship remained and, when we did get together, it was as if nothing had changed. We could still finish each other's sentences, laugh at our old jokes and remember the humorous folk songs we learned from Terrea while sitting around The Garret's fireplace.

Bob fought all his life against dangerously ill health, determined to live on his own terms and do the things he loved in spite of it. His final battle overtook him on a cruise through the Panama Canal, a last grand adventure. He is survived by his wife, Glenda Kay Spurgin Hamburg, his son, Brian Hamburg-Maas and his sister, Julie Hamburg. He was much loved by all who knew him and will be sadly missed.

Thanks for everything, Bob. Rest in peace, old friend.

— Jerry Hollombe, Webmaster