Knowing Bob Jarvis

Bob Jarvis joined the Williams College Building & Grounds family in the early summer of 1999. No doubt, some of us wondered what this silver-haired, ex-soldier was doing in our ranks. Some of us were more than a little suspicious that Bob’s standard response to any inquiry of his well-being was,

“Ahh … the world’s too good.”

Similarly, we were occasionally speechless at his, “Oh darn. It’s Friday already,” A counterpoint to our TGIF.

Over time, our suspicions and speechlessness faded away as we grew to know and to love Bob. To Bob, the world we experienced together really was good, in contrast to the harsh realities of three wars in which he served. He spoke seldom of those dark moments, but shared endless stories of humor and optimism. We were amazed time and again at his three aircraft crashes in one day. We admired the story of his enlistment in the Navy soon after Pearl Harbor. The over-night courtship and marriage to his beloved Iola is a fairy-tale-come-true for any who heard it. As he once said,

“I have a million stories, and eventually, you’ll hear them all.”

Perhaps we did, and we are thankful for them.

Not surprising, Bob’s infectious optimism and good humor was but one compelling attribute of this extraordinary human being. Anyone who had spent as many years in the military as Bob had couldn’t help but know a thing or two about leadership and service. One didn’t have to know Bob long to understand how ingrained leadership was in him. Bob was a leader, regardless of his position, and he lead by direction and by example. He led those who reported to him, those who walked beside him, and those above him.

Above all else, it was Bob’s love of others that stood out,

and that love took many forms. It might have been a smile and a kind word. There were the moments of fatherly advice and encouragement. The laughter-and-story-filled Thirsty Thursdays are now precious memories, and Bob’s quiet financial generosity helped others more than we can know.

It is altogether fitting that the Robert Jarvis Awards recognize leadership, service, generosity, community, excellence, and optimism. Bob embodied all of these and he would be proud that we encourage and reward these qualities in others.

— Michael Briggs, for the Peer Recognition and Award Committee
Committee Chair: David Lamarre
Committee Members: John Maloney, Tim Roberts, Dave Maselli, Mike Noyes,
Tom Bona, David Fitzgerald, Bill Beattie and, with us always in spirit, Bob Jarvis