Robert A. Closser Jr. ’51

Robert A. Closser Jr. ’51 of Prairie Village, Kansas, died on March 17. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Ann, as well as three children and five grandchildren. Bob spent 35 years as an area manager with Unocal Chemical Co.’s Sherwood solvents division. Upon retirement he was active in the travel business. Throughout those years he served on the city planning commission and the city council in Mission Hills, Kansas. He was also a volunteer leader with the Boy Scouts, the Big Brothers/Little Brothers program, and the Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas City. Bob loved the outdoors, especially adventure sports such as scuba diving, hang-gliding, and parasailing. Fitness was a lifelong passion and “pumping iron” was a part of his daily routine since age 13. He and his family enjoyed canoeing, skiing, golf, and biking. Together they built a log cabin in Colorado that became the focus of family gatherings. At Dartmouth Bob was a Tuck-Thayer student. He was a member of Sigma Chi, a pole vaulter on the track team, and active with the Ledyard Canoe Club and the Outing Club. A proud alumnus, he was very appreciative of his folks finding the money to send him to Dartmouth, where he learned to be an independent thinker. Following graduation he served for two years in the U.S. Coast Guard as a deck officer during the Korean War.