Robert Kenneth Pugh

He was more commonly known simply as "Bob" by his business associates, enormous group of friends, and his family. His grandchildren all called him "Bob" ever since they were able to speak. Bob didn't like the sound of "grandpa." He said it made him feel old.

Bob was born on January 17, 1940 in Fayette, Missouri to William Edward Pugh and Thelma "Sue" Frances (Cleeton) Pugh. His father was an ensign in the U.S. Navy during World War II. While his father was overseas, he lived with his mother and maternal grandparents in Columbia. Upon his father's return from the war, his family relocated to Paris, Missouri where his father worked as the Monroe County agent for the University of Missouri Extension Division. They later relocated to Columbia in 1952, when Bob was eleven years old.

Bob attended Lee Elementary School, Jefferson Junior High, and Columbia Hickman High School, graduating with the class of 1958. While in high school, he lost his father to an unexpected heart attack and his mother went to work as a librarian at Stephens College in order to support the family, which included Bob and his younger sister, Nancy.

Bob was a track star at Hickman, serving as team captain in 1957 and 1958. He was an all-state performer in the high-jump, high hurdles and low hurdles as a senior. During his junior year at Hickman, a sprightly girl named Connie Jo Grogger invited him to the "Sadie Hawkins Dance." It was an important moment in his life.

Following his high school graduation, Bob enrolled at the University of Missouri and pledged with the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He continued to date Connie, who pledged with the Pi Beta Phi sorority. He won a number of intramural track medals for the Beta's and, as he often reported, drank a "hell ofa lot of beer."

Bob and Connie were married on August 18, 1962 at the United Methodist Church in Columbia. Problem was, the "hell ofa lot of beer" required Bob to attend a fifth year of college, and Connie became a seventh grade biology teacher at West Junior High in Columbia in order for them to scrape out a living. Bob persevered and graduated from Mizzou in 1963 with a B.S. in Accounting.

Following graduation, Bob looked to the military. He was commissioned as Second Lieutenant USAR in Fort Still, Oklahoma, then Fort Knox, Kentucky, where his son was born in 1964. He left active duty in 1965 as a First Lieutenant, but dutifully served as Executive Officer in the Missouri National Guard before retiring as a Reserve Captain in 1978.

Bob briefly worked for Caterpillar Inc. in Peoria, Illinois in 1965, before moving back to Columbia to accept a job with MFA Insurance (now known as Shelter) as an accountant in 1966.

In January, 1967, he accepted a position with the Missouri Store Co. It turned out to be a good

professional move. He served as Assistant Controller until 1970, during which time his daughter was born. He was promoted to executive controller of the Missouri Store Co. in 1970.

On a fateful night on New Year’s Eve, 1972, Bob always reported that he had "a few too many cocktails" at a party at the old Howard Johnson's Hotel with friends and a group of young Columbia business leaders and vowed to run for local office. He followed through and was elected as City Councilman of the Fourth Ward the following April. After serving for two years on the City Council, he ran successfully for Mayor of Columbia in 1975.

Bob was the Mayor of Columbia from 1975 until 1977. Having "paid his civic rent" as he

always said, he did not run for re-election in 1977, instead opting to concentrate on his business career.

He was promoted to Executive Vice President of the Missouri Store Co. in 1980. During this period, he and his business partner at the Missouri Store Co., Dan Schuppan, launched Missouri Book Services in a large warehouse on Paris Rd. They purchased used textbooks regionally and then re-sold them to students at a discounted rate from what they would have paid for new books. It was a highly successful endeavor.

In 1985, Bob and Schuppan, partnered with Leonard Riggio, the owner of Barnes & Noble Books, purchased the Missouri Store Co. and Missouri Book Services from the Lucas Family Trust in Columbia. They built a massive warehouse on W. Ash St., renamed the business MBS Textbook Exchange, and ultimately sold new and used textbooks to more than 3,700 college bookstores across the country. Bob served as CEO of MBS for more than 30 years.

In 2017, Bob and Schuppan sold their interests in MBS to Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. Both retired but remained with the company as consultants.

Although Bob never sought elected office following his mayoral tenure, he remained active in the community, serving on both the Boone County National Bank and Commerce Bank board of directors, the Columbia Water & Light advisory board, chairman of the Columbia Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority, University of Missouri business school advisory board, and chairman of the Columbia ward redistributing commission. He was a member of the Missouri 100, and recipient of the MU faculty alumni award.

Bob was a generous supporter of numerous local charities, among other things performing for many years at the Deja Vu "Celebrity Comedy Night," often in tandem with his son, Doug. He was an avid financial supporter of Mizzou athletics. He was a member of the "Round Table," a group of Columbia businessmen who met regularly for lunch downtown.

In his spare time, Bob enjoyed spending Happy Hours with his "regular" group of cronies over the years at Harpo's, Shiloh, Murry's and the Country Club of Missouri. He also enjoyed trying to catch fish (usually unsuccessfully), traveling with his family, breaking golf clubs over his knee, drinking Tito's on the rocks, and smoking Winston Red's.

Bob is survived by his wife of 61 years, Connie Jo (Grogger) Pugh of Columbia; his son Douglas

Pugh (wife Amy) of Columbia; his daughter Lesley Pugh of Columbia; a sister, Nancy (Pugh) Farris of Canton, GA; and his four grand-children: Parker Adam (wife Sarah) of San Diego; Tatum Pugh of Denver; Logan Adam of Columbia; and Sadie Pugh of Columbia.

Bob was laid to rest in a private military ceremony at Memorial Park Cemetery on March 22, 2024. A "Celebration of Life" is in planning stages, with the date and venue to be announced by his family in the near future.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy for the Pugh family may be shared at www.memorialfuneralhomeandcemetery.com.