Guestbook

Feel free to share your thoughts.

New York, New York

Bobby,

I somehow realize that it was you that brought Candace into my life so that I could tell you good-bye. Jamie Weiss was amazed that I only recently found out that you passed away...even though I thought about you so often in New York... I had such a wierd experience when Candace told me you passed away....I had an immediate sense that you were right there telling me yourself.. I know you can appreciate the fact that I have not been to Lubbock in nearly 10 years...and I am sure that you would whole heartedly agree there is nothing better than Lubbock-free living. I am looking to have freedom party next year. Nell's is no more, our New York life is no more, althogh I have been in New York for nearly a decade, and have offices in London, those days are long, gone, but richly remembered.

There is victory and peace in this life for you brother...in my life my victories are your victories, and my peace is your peace...and your people shall be my people, and your God, my God...because we are one, always...I hope to be able to hang your work in Thames Capital Studios in London.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009, 10:42 a.m.
Alison Frey
San Antonio

Oh how I think of you Bobby, especially during the times I miss my own hubby and how you two are probably getting along famously in this spiritual realm. You and John just turned 40 in January. I miss you both dearly.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 2:02 a.m.
Eddy Patterson

Happy 40th ... my dear brother. Love you and miss you ... you are always in my thoughts.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 8:07 a.m.
Blake Hall
Austin

Today, "Mind, Body +Soul" has taken on a whole new meaning to me, as I have glanced up at it hanging on my wall no less than 20 times this evening alone. #40 is here, Bob - Happy Birthday. Although, at this very moment, I miss you more than ever, I know that Heaven is a much more glorious place with you a part of it.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 12:08 p.m.
Egbemugu
Sulphur Springs

Jeannie and Tommy, We want you to know you are in our thoughts and our prayers.

Friday, August 29, 2008, 11:11 p.m.
Brent Scottt Scott
Austin, Texas

I grew up living around the corner from Bob and Ed. I will always remeber the cool space patrol helmet walkie talkies they had. They were some of the best people I ever knew. I am so sorry that we lost such a wonderful person and artist.

Sunday, August 17, 2008, 10:12 a.m.
Shelley (Henry) English
Reno, NV

Jeannie, Tommy & Eddy: I was doing a search on friends I remember from Lubbock and specifically First UMC, and was shocked when I ran across this! I'm so sorry for the loss of Bobby. I went to school and Sunday School with Eddy, but I also remember Bobby from "The Music Man". I also remember seeing him in "Peter Pan". He was SO talented, and I think of him every time my daughter plays her "Music Man" soundtrack. This is a wonderful website and tribute to Bobby, thank you for sharing...
Love,
Shelley

Saturday, August 16, 2008, 2:57 a.m.
Linda McMillan

I want to see what Bobby has done. Barbara said it was great.

Thursday, April 3, 2008, 4:29 a.m.
Alison Beron Frey
San Antonio

Happy Birthday Bobby! Same month as my John...you two up there in heaven need to be getting together. Both of you would be 39. Precious Bobby...you will never be forgotten.
Alison

Tuesday, January 29, 2008, 8:10 p.m.
Eddy

Happy Birthday my dear brother...You are always in my thoughts...

Tuesday, January 29, 2008, 4:17 a.m.
Blake Hall
Hawaii

Happy 39, Bob. Your friendship and brotherhood over the past 35 years is a true reflection on who I am today. Thank you.

Monday, January 28, 2008, 11:14 a.m.
Gina Brackett Beck
Austin

It's been three years and not a day has gone by without Bobby in my thoughts. He is with me in spirit and cheering me on.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007, 1:52 p.m.
Robert Grandjean
NY

This was an invitation to Bobby's birthday party 10 years ago

Saturday, February 10, 2007, 10:07 p.m.
Blake Hall
Austin

Today's #38 for you, Bob - Happy Birthday!

You never drift too far from my thoughts.

Sunday, January 28, 2007, 6:00 a.m.
Lisa Tillery-Skidmore
Tulsa, OK

Bobby was my first crush, as I'm sure he was many other young girls. We both attended Parsons elementary and Atkins Jr. High. Strangely, I just learned of Bobby's passing through googling the people I thought would have really done something great in their life. I'm deeply saddened that he is gone, but not at all surprised at what he accomplished on this earth. He was magnificent in so many ways. From the Peter Pan production at Tech, to his crowd pleasing performance at my 15th birthday party, "Knock it Off!", to the awesome works of art in his gallery!! The world is a better place for having you, and thanks for the memories that will live in my heart forever.

Wednesday, December 6, 2006, 12:36 a.m.
matthew britton
lubbock, tx

Bobby, it has been 2 years and I think about you quite often. Wherever you may roam I hope you are experiencing freedom at its highest. I miss you my friend and have a heartful of memories that I think about and can only help but to smile because you helped to place them there. See you my dear old friend. Mr and Mrs Paterson and Eddy, I love you too !

Matthew Britton

Friday, November 10, 2006, 6:32 a.m.
Alison Beron Frey
San Antonio, Texas

I knew Bobby all through high school. My friend Maria Perez introduced me to him because he had such a crush on him. He was so cute and we loved his personality. His brother Eddy was very good friends with my brother David and David and Bobby acted together throughout high school. I just came across this website when I was thinking about Bobby due to my own tragedy of my husband John recently passing away last month and I was reflecting on my life. I think, hmmm....could Bobby be meeting my John up in heaven? Maybe so...those two would get along fantastically. Both have generous hearts and beautiful souls. I'm thinking of you all. Love, Alison

Thursday, March 23, 2006, 11:00 a.m.
Dave Knapp
Hollywood

Goodbye old friend.
Love Dave Knapp

Thursday, November 17, 2005, 3:19 a.m.
Mary Anne Speck
Houston & Saint Louis

Bobby was one of the most talented and giving students I ever had the privilege of working with. He made people happy. I really enjoyed this thoughtful and beautiful website. :-)

Monday, October 24, 2005, 10:57 p.m.
Paul Speck
New York, NY

Dear Eddy, Kirsten and Mr. and Mrs. Patterson,

Today I was shocked and saddened to learn of Bobby's passing. Thank you for this website and guestbook. I appreciate this chance to tell you how terrific a person I think Bobby was, and how sorry I am for your loss.

I lost touch with Bobby--as I did with all of my "Lubbock life"--in 1985, upon graduating from Lubbock High and moving away from Texas. But, over the course of my many moves since then (in fact, probably, because of those moves), my memories of Lubbock have grown increasingly precious to me, and many of those memories--one way or another--involve Bobby.

I don't remember precisely when Bobby and I met, but it would have been in 1 of several venues where Lubbock kids who enjoyed the performing arts all were meeting each other back then: Cindy [last name?'s] "Young Actor's Workshop" at Texas Tech, one of Enid Racz's dance productions, or my mom's "Shake Hands With Your Future" summer camp.

Actually, now that I think about it, I believe that I met Bobby as a fellow actor in Cindy's second musical review at Tech, in which Bobby sang ... something. I can't remember the song. But I remember his voice. Booming, wide-ranging, and full of character. That skinny kid didn't just have a great pair of lungs. He had a 3-octave range, and I can see his face now, from the side, as he looked out at the audience: serious, for once, and falling right into his role. I think that it was in that musical that Bobby and I first became friends, and got a glimpse of Bobby's many talents.

My friendship with Bobby grew substantially the (next?) summer when Bobby and I attended "Shake Hands With Your Future." Bobby was the most popular kid there, needless to say. And, having gotten to know each other in Cindy's musical, we decided to put together an act for the Shake Hands talent show. Our choice: "Baba O'Reilly" by The Who. I think that Baba O'Reilly must be a tough song to perform even for Roger Daltry and Pete Townsend, and in those days (I think Bobby had just finished 9th grade), Bobby and I didn't even have any musical instruments, much less knowledge of how to play instruments (and there were only 2 of us), but that didn't stop our plans.

My friend from Christ The King Junior High School, John Filippone, was in town from Deerfield, and while at CTK, John and I had discovered a common interest in guitar, thus starting a 4-year process of planning for and occasionally even practicing to be in a band--the "Vomiting Lizards," I think--during summers when John was in town.

I suggested to Bobby that we draft John (who had attended Shake Hands previously) to play guitar with us in the show. Someone else played the drums, I played keyboards, Bobby Sang--and voila! It was awful!!! But it was one of the most fun 7 minutes of my life!!!!! And it had the effect of introducing Bobby and John to one another and getting them together on stage for the first time ever.

The next year Bobby and I enrolled in Cindy's weekly acting classes at Tech (now part of "Shake Hands'" new "Super Saturdays" program), but I didn't learn much acting there. I think poor Cindy didn't quite know what to do with this skinny, funny blonde kid named Bobby who clearly was the best actor in the class, but who also was developing a talent in the area of "girls" to compete with his focus on thespianism. Even when Bobby and I weren't skipping acting class to play pinball downstairs in the student union at Tech, we mostly spent our time in class honing harmonic versions of "Sandman" and "Let's Go to the Lobby" and performing for the girls. (We were the only 2 boys.) The thing is: Bobby didn't NEED to practice like everyone else. He was and always would be better than everyone else, practice or not.

During my senior year at LHS, Bobby joined the school as a sophomore and starred opposite Deanna Shoemaker in the school's production of "The Fantastiks." I played piano. David Baron and Adam Harvey played really terrific acting roles. And Deanna and Bobby started dating.

As a loving tribute to her, that spring in LHS's own talent show, Bobby and I decided to perform Led Zeppelin's "Tangerine" and dedicate it "To Deanna Shoe and Sweet Jaleen (my girlfriend), you are our dreams, love Tangerine." The school's Vice Principal Mr Umstot was incensed that we had said something unplanned on stage, but unlike our earlier Who rendition, "Tangerine" actually wasn't terrible, and so that summer--my last in Lubbock--Bobby and I did put together a set of about 15 songs ranging from old Stones ballads to Jimmy Buffet that we finally played -- exactly once -- in a small bar on Broadway right before I moved away.

It's a testament to how little I knew Bobby, even with so many memories, that I just learned on this website that he and I share the same birthday. I think that's revealing. Many, many people probably have lists as long as mine of Bobby memories, and yet I don't know about most of them. 20 years later, my time with him remains extremely fun and rewarding to me, and his presence--however distant--still fills a big space in my heart, but I know that for every minute I spent with Bobby, there were 100 more that he spent elsewhere, and obviously there were many parts of his life that I never got to discover.

That is my loss, but I don't feel disappointed at all, for even in the brief period of time that it was my luck to know and be friends with Bobby at all, he touched me deeply and in a way that I always will always treasure and enjoy.

I barely knew Eddy directly. But I have strong and very positive impressions of you from Bobby, all of which reflected a closeness and respect that I found unusual between two brothers of such a young age.

I also have never met you Kirsten, but I know that if Bobby loved you that you must be a really great person and that Bobby must have been practically, embarassingly giddy around you.

I'm very sorry for you Mr and Mrs Patterson, who raised 2 great sons. Great kids almost always come from great parents, and I know that Bobby loved you a lot.

I apologize for taking up so much space in this guest book, but I want all of you to know how much Bobby meant to me and how much I know you meant to him.

With Peace and Love.
Paul Speck

Wednesday, October 19, 2005, 7:47 a.m.

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