Robert C. Larson

Bob Larson was born on New Year’s in 1941 (as was his identical twin brother, Bill) He grew up in south Minneapolis and lived in the same house for 22 years with his parents (Gladyce and Bill) , his brother and his sister, Janet. He attended Hiawatha elementary school, Stanford junior HS and Roosevelt HS, graduating in 1959. During his HS years, Bob excelled in math and science and was a member of the National Honor Society. He loved hockey and baseball and began learning about leadership as president of the junior class .

In the fall of 1959, he entered the Engineering school at the University of Minnesota. He and his brother lived at home and shared a 1950 Dodge to get to school. He worked as a carpet layer to pay for books and tuition and still had time for hockey and baseball. After 3 years, he transferred to the College of Education and graduated with distinction in May, 1963. His major was physics and mathematics with a minor in chemistry.

In 1963 to 1964, Bob taught junior HS in San Diego, California. He received a National Science Foundation Scholarship for a master’s degree in mathematics and headed for ski country, the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

He met a girl there (Lynn Johnson from Iron Mountain, Mich) who was being sponsored to train for the Olympic ski team and they worked out a deal. She could borrow his car to get to practice at Alta and he could pick out whatever skiis he wanted from her locker, which had several pairs. She decided to follow him to California in 1965 where he taught physics at Rolling Hills HS in Palos Verdes. Bob and Lynn got married in the spring of 1966.

Bob wanted to go back to school for a Ph.D in statistics and educational psychology, so he left California and headed back to Minnesota where he completed his doctorate. Then followed years of work with the National Association of Educational Progress. When that job wanted him to relocate to New Jersey, he packed up and moved to Colorado instead. He got hired “off the street” by Mountain Bell and then began a steady climb upwards through US.West, and Media One to At&T were he retired as Exective Director of the Media One Group.

Throughout his career in Colorado, he was always actively involved with his twin sons, Andy and Jon , who were born in 1974. He was at every one of their sporting events and became quite a hitting expert in baseball. His early retirement at age 55 marked the beginning of a life of coaching baseball, both at Mullen and Regis High Schools. He devoted himself to learning everything he could about hitting and coaching and became an expert in that field. He has always been proud of the young boys he has coached.

Bob also loved to fish. He took many trips into remote areas of Canada where

he and his friends ate fresh fish every day. Some of his best memories were of his horseback riding /fishing adventures into the Colorado mountains.

Finally, and not the least of his loves, was sailing. He planned many clipper ship sailing adventures with his family to all parts of the world, including Thailand, the South Pacific and the Carribean. He always felt that what you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. Make it good!

Arrangements under the direction of Olinger Andrews Caldwell Gibson Chapel, Castle Rock, CO.