Today, we remember the life of Bob Stebbins, one of VFP Linus Pauling Chapter’s charter members, who died December 29, 2022 at the age of 89.
Bob led Army units in Korea and witnessed first-hand the horrors of war. Until very near the end of his life, Bob worked tirelessly for peace and justice. But he was also sort of a renaissance man with serious art and science skills.
His obituary appeared in the local Corvallis/Albany papers.
We would have loved to be present in the late 1960s as Bob led anti-Vietnam War activism among his faculty colleagues at Oregon State University. This had to be a risky move at a largely conservative agricultural school in those days.
From the moment he helped us create our new Corvallis, Oregon VFP chapter in 2006, Bob could always be counted on for ideas on how to better educate the public about the true costs of war. But he also gave us his enthusiastic presence at any VFP function, be it a parade in terrible weather, flyering about the Pentagon budget at the post office on tax day, or just to offer a few comments at a rally or demonstration to reaffirm his and the chapter’s commitment to creating a more peaceful world.
Even in his later years, Bob could be seen pedaling around Corvallis on his trike, which sported a peace flag for better visibility on the road. His commitment to fighting climate change was also evident when he replaced his VW van with a small electric vehicle.
Another fond memory is of Bob’s crucial help setting up our Armistice (Veterans) Day float in the big Albany, Oregon parade in 2012. We wanted to remind parade goers that Veterans Day began as Armistice Day at the end of World War I. To draw attention to our “float” we needed a big bell that could be rung eleven times in succession, representing the end of the “Great War” and the armistice signing at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918. Bell ringing has been a VFP Armistice Day tradition for many years. Well, Bob dusted off his big school bell, founded for his Specialty Apples business, and mounted it on a frame so it could ride safely in the back of our float trailer.
Bob can be seen at one of the Albany parades in this page’s banner photo above, on the left, in the tan jacket.
Bob’s lifelong contributions to the causes of social justice, environmental justice, universal healthcare and peace cannot be overstated.
He is truly missed.
Bob Stebbins, ¡Presente!
Veterans For Peace, Linus Pauling Chapter 