Remember Bob Lendman

[Michael Boo]

I received a note from Allison Lendman today.

"Today, Oct 2, would have been Bob’s 73rd birthday. Please think of him for a moment and smile at the memory.

Allison"

Bob passed away a couple years ago from injuries received while on his motorcycle. He was riding (wearing his helmet) with his Harley Club and a dog ran out and knocked him off his bike. While Bob is most remembered as director for Phantom Regiment and his work with Star of Indiana, he also helped keep Blue Stars alive during a time when the corps almost disappeared. I was touched to read the comments after his passing from some members of the Division III corps then, who stated that after the World Championships, Bob and Allison took the bus and drove members home from LaCrosse.

Bob passed away just several days before Bill Cook. I was in Florida a week afterwards and drove up to see Allison. She recounted how the tremendous outpouring from corps fans was such a great comfort to her and I know she would be touched just knowing that those of you who knew him would take a moment to think about him today.

Thank you.

[bstar82]

I'll never forget Bob Lendman. Search for "My tribute to Robert Lendman." He was one of the many great folks who defined DCI.

[Michael Boo]

I'll never forget Bob Lendman. Search for "My tribute to Robert Lendman." He was one of the many great folks who defined DCI.

Link to bstar82's tribute.

[Jim Clark]

Bob was a class act, one of those remarkable characters you meet in Drum Corps that stays with you.

I had known Bob peripherally from back in the day, but I got to know him much better in more recent years.

I used to do souvies for Spirit during Finals week and Bob was a big part of the behind-the-scenes production that makes Finals run. Since the Spirit souvie trailer was airconditioned, I could count on Bob to stop by and visit when the day got hot, pre-Indy dome but he still came by after souvies moved indoors. He would stop by for ten or fifteen minutes, have a seat in one of our director chairs (appropriate now that I think about it) and swap tour stories from the old days.

Bob and I only knew each other from our Finals week visits, I doubt if he even knew my name. I always thought of him as a good Drum Corps friend... one of those you only see occasionally but when you do, the years melt away and you pick up on the conversation you may have started a year ago. He was one of the greats and I'm sure many people have much better stories than mine.

R.I.P., Bob.

Edited October 4, 2012 by Jim Clark

[oldsoprano]

I, too, only knew OF Bob back in the day, but got to know him a little better in more recent years when I was helping my wife run Spirit's home shows and he was the DCI show person for a couple of them. Such a truly nice guy, taken way too soon.

And speaking of drum corps giants taken too soon, I recently had a nice exchange with Marty Hurley's widow, Kathy. I had put up a bunch of old drum corps t-shirts on eBay, and she wrote asking about one of the shirts I was selling from the '70s. She told me how she and Marty had met when they were both marching in the Bleu Raiders, and how they lost all their drum corps memorabilia in Hurricane Katrina and she was trying to find some old shirts from their marching days. I sent her the shirt she had asked about, but I couldn't possibly charge her for it. I just wanted to do what I could to help her rebuild some of those fond memories.