My connection with Bob is that for several years we both swam at Cornerstone Pool in West Hartford and would chat in the locker room. He loved to express his opinion, whether in the locker room, in a letter to a newspaper, or by an email to the town manager. I learned a lot from him about how a citizen can actively participate in local government even without being elected (although he, of course, had indeed been elected). And this was all when he was in his very senior years -- I can only imagine what he was like when he was younger! He was the real deal, and we are all the poorer for his loss. My condolences.