Robert Charles Denne

Bob Denne died peacefully due to complications following a long, hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 77. He is survived by his wife, Julia; his two children; Nina and Dennis, his son-in-law, Henry, and his sister, Jane, along with extended family and friends who will miss him.

Bob attended the University of Chicago for his undergraduate education (Class of ‘71), MBA (Class of ‘74), and Masters in Library and Information Sciences (Class of ‘75). His education did not stop there; he was a voracious reader, and he instilled a similar love for books in his children through countless nights of out-loud bedtime reading. Some of his ‘greatest hits’ included “Your Inner Fish” by Neil Shubin, “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” by Sean Carroll, and “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” by Oliver Sacks. His personal love for reading spanned statistics, economics, mathematics, and computer books, as well as other non-fiction. Always brimming with intellectual curiosity, Bob regularly attended lectures at the University of Chicago, Adler Planetarium, and Fermilab on topics ranging from theoretical mathematics to neural networks to gene editing technologies. The Compton lecture series hosted by the Enrico Fermi Institute at the University of Chicago was his favorite; Dennis became interested in physics after attending these lectures in middle school, with Bob driving him in his ‘90s white two-door Nissan to the University of Chicago campus.

He encouraged and supported his children’s education. While undergoing chemotherapy for his pancreatic cancer, he read and provided comments for a chapter of his daughter's doctoral thesis on the subject of cancer immunotherapy approaches. He always took great interest in his children’s academic studies; though their chosen fields diverged from his work, he would do extensive research and ask frequent, in-depth questions. Bob always understood, because he always made the effort to understand.

Bob was a member of the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) for over 45 years and served as Deputy Executive Director from 1974 - 1993. He was a partner at Almy, Gloudemans, Jacobs, & Denne, a firm providing property tax consulting services for governments and international development agencies. His work took him around the globe, traveling to Namibia, South Africa, Canada, Monte Negro, Poland, Japan, and Russia, just to name a few. He met his wife, Julia, while working in Russia, where they both worked on USAID projects. Bob pioneered work on property tax administration which did not exist in the Soviet Union.

Bob's work reflected his particular brilliance: A diligent assessor and statistician, he was able to understand the depth and breadth of current events to such an extent that he could often casually predict them. Despite his intellect, he was never aloof; Bob's warmth and kindness always brought those around him together for stimulating conversation.

Though Bob's work was data-driven, he also derived great enjoyment from visiting museums and exploring nature. He had a particular love for Chinese art and calligraphy, travelling to many museums to see their art collections in person and amassing an impressive collection of books on the subject of Chinese art. He insisted on taking Julia and Nina to see the redwoods in California to appreciate the world’s tallest trees; a few pictures from that trip are attached. He also loved visiting family friends Rich and Nancy Almy in Roger’s City, Michigan, taking many trips over the years with the family.

Bob also enjoyed taking on a variety of home improvement projects over the years with Dennis’s help, from building bookcases for his ever-growing book collection to rebuilding the deck, taking apart the playground, making flower beds, and mending the fences in the backyard.

Although Bob enjoyed trying new foods and was always proud of his ability to tolerate spice, he was never much of a cook. His attempts to make lasagna for his family often nded with tomato sauce on the ceiling (although, to be fair, the lasagna was quite good). He preferred being the taste tester for baked goods made by his family; oatmeal raisin cookies, fruitcakes, and carrot cakes were his perennial favorites.

At the request of his family, a public service will not be held at this time. A private celebration of Bob’s life will be held at a future date.

Memorial donations can be directed to the Compton Lecture Series at the University of Chicago.