Remembering Bob Livy
Every school, hopefully, has its transcendent characters who establish a presence when they arrive, teach lifelong lessons often lost until later amidst the cacophony of the moment, and leave enduring memories in the hearts and minds of their students and colleagues.
Such is the way I remember Robert Bruce Livy, who died this past Saturday at the University Park Nursing Home following a period of declining health.
A proud alumnus of the University of Virginia, Bob left a career in banking in 1963 to teach English at Collegiate and held forth until he retired in 1987.
Tough, stern, and strict, Bob was a scholar and academician.
He set a standard for excellence in his teaching from which he never even slightly wavered.
Likewise, he demanded excellence from his students, no easy task in the early days on North Mooreland Road when the Boys School at times resembled, in the words of a friend with a vast institutional memory, “a rough frontier.”
In his inimitable way, Bob was, simply put, a good school man.
Such is the way I remember Robert Bruce Livy, who died this past Saturday at the University Park Nursing Home following a period of declining health.
A proud alumnus of the University of Virginia, Bob left a career in banking in 1963 to teach English at Collegiate and held forth until he retired in 1987.
Tough, stern, and strict, Bob was a scholar and academician.
He set a standard for excellence in his teaching from which he never even slightly wavered.
Likewise, he demanded excellence from his students, no easy task in the early days on North Mooreland Road when the Boys School at times resembled, in the words of a friend with a vast institutional memory, “a rough frontier.”
In his inimitable way, Bob was, simply put, a good school man.
What follows are recollections and reflections offered by several long-time friends who enjoyed his company, recognized his strengths, appreciated his idiosyncrasies, and admired him well.
Bob was an in-depth, serious-minded, excellent English teacher. He loved books and was widely read. He never watched TV, never listened to the radio. He read the newspaper and doted on The Wall Street Journal.
Bob was a tremendous creature of habit. He took his morning walk and afternoon walk at precisely the same time. He parked in the same spot for the 8 a.m. service at St. Stephen’s (Episcopal Church) and sat in the same seat.
He loved his quietude. I can remember him saying, “It’s been a very quiet day, and I like it that way.”
Grace Lindner, an English department colleague
Bob had a special relationship with Helen Moon (a venerable Girls School English teacher who had used a wheelchair since she was afflicted with polio during her childhood. For years, he provided her a ride to school.)
He admired her and really knew how good a teacher she was. (Driving Miss Moon) was something, as a younger man, he could do. It was incredibly admirable. It was quiet service.
He also had a special relationship with (football coach) Grover (Jones). They both demanded excellence and respected each other for it, and neither suffered fools gladly.
Bob was erudite in a classical sense. He truly loved to read and write. He appreciated good writing. He was interested in ideas.
He enjoyed a good book, a good meal, and a good football game.
Bill Reeves, retired Boys School and Middle School head
Bob used to ask me once or twice a year to go to UVA football games with him. He had season tickets almost on the 50-yard-line in the alumni section.
I was always surprised how many people in that stadium knew him. A lot of his former students, now adults with kids of their own, would come up and speak to him.
I always thought he purposely cultivated a solitary life, but over the years, he got to know a lot of people who were really cordial to him and happy to see him.
Neil Weiser, Upper School history teacher
A lot of people don’t know that Bob was the winner of the Spirit Award at Camp Virginia in 1953. (The Spirit Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a camper.)
He never coached, but for years he was like an administrative assistant for (athletic director) Petey (Jacobs). He went around to the practices, checked attendance, and supervised the Lower School gym during basketball games. He was available for whatever Petey needed done, especially in the winter and spring when Petey was coaching.
Charlie McFall, co-athletic director
Mr. Livy was very serious and passionate about literature. To him, both the written and spoken word were relevant to his students' lives. He pushed us to care about the craft of writing. To many, he was forever stern, but his humor often surfaced through his scholarly interpretation of poetry and prose.
Steve Hart ’78, Collegiate’s director of planned giving
When I interviewed at Collegiate in the spring of 1979, I sat in on his class of honors sophomore English. He was teaching 19th century British poetry to a class of about 12 boys, and they were reading from Wordsworth's " Lyrical Ballads.”
Bob was a very serious and text-oriented literature teacher, and he had each boy focus on a couple of lines and explain the figures of speech, word use, and syntax and how these lines fit into the whole.
It was an amazing class and served as a very impressive introduction for me to Collegiate academics.
Joel Nuckols, college counselor and Latin teacher
As Bob's successor in the Boys School college counseling role and as advisor to six classes of seniors, I learned well that Mr. Livy's English class was one of inspiration, high standards, and more than an occasional tremor.
Few boys left Collegiate without a thorough grounding in the basics of grammar and usage and even fewer departed without an appreciation for great works of art as reflections of mankind's ongoing dilemmas.
Arbiters of good taste in language do not abound in today's environment, and Bob's departure means their number is one fewer.
Gerry Shields, a colleague from 1980 through 1986
-- Weldon Bradshaw
(An obituary for Bob Livy ran in the April 28, 2011, edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.)
Back
Bob was an in-depth, serious-minded, excellent English teacher. He loved books and was widely read. He never watched TV, never listened to the radio. He read the newspaper and doted on The Wall Street Journal.
Bob was a tremendous creature of habit. He took his morning walk and afternoon walk at precisely the same time. He parked in the same spot for the 8 a.m. service at St. Stephen’s (Episcopal Church) and sat in the same seat.
He loved his quietude. I can remember him saying, “It’s been a very quiet day, and I like it that way.”
Grace Lindner, an English department colleague
Bob had a special relationship with Helen Moon (a venerable Girls School English teacher who had used a wheelchair since she was afflicted with polio during her childhood. For years, he provided her a ride to school.)
He admired her and really knew how good a teacher she was. (Driving Miss Moon) was something, as a younger man, he could do. It was incredibly admirable. It was quiet service.
He also had a special relationship with (football coach) Grover (Jones). They both demanded excellence and respected each other for it, and neither suffered fools gladly.
Bob was erudite in a classical sense. He truly loved to read and write. He appreciated good writing. He was interested in ideas.
He enjoyed a good book, a good meal, and a good football game.
Bill Reeves, retired Boys School and Middle School head
Bob used to ask me once or twice a year to go to UVA football games with him. He had season tickets almost on the 50-yard-line in the alumni section.
I was always surprised how many people in that stadium knew him. A lot of his former students, now adults with kids of their own, would come up and speak to him.
I always thought he purposely cultivated a solitary life, but over the years, he got to know a lot of people who were really cordial to him and happy to see him.
Neil Weiser, Upper School history teacher
A lot of people don’t know that Bob was the winner of the Spirit Award at Camp Virginia in 1953. (The Spirit Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a camper.)
He never coached, but for years he was like an administrative assistant for (athletic director) Petey (Jacobs). He went around to the practices, checked attendance, and supervised the Lower School gym during basketball games. He was available for whatever Petey needed done, especially in the winter and spring when Petey was coaching.
Charlie McFall, co-athletic director
Mr. Livy was very serious and passionate about literature. To him, both the written and spoken word were relevant to his students' lives. He pushed us to care about the craft of writing. To many, he was forever stern, but his humor often surfaced through his scholarly interpretation of poetry and prose.
Steve Hart ’78, Collegiate’s director of planned giving
When I interviewed at Collegiate in the spring of 1979, I sat in on his class of honors sophomore English. He was teaching 19th century British poetry to a class of about 12 boys, and they were reading from Wordsworth's " Lyrical Ballads.”
Bob was a very serious and text-oriented literature teacher, and he had each boy focus on a couple of lines and explain the figures of speech, word use, and syntax and how these lines fit into the whole.
It was an amazing class and served as a very impressive introduction for me to Collegiate academics.
Joel Nuckols, college counselor and Latin teacher
As Bob's successor in the Boys School college counseling role and as advisor to six classes of seniors, I learned well that Mr. Livy's English class was one of inspiration, high standards, and more than an occasional tremor.
Few boys left Collegiate without a thorough grounding in the basics of grammar and usage and even fewer departed without an appreciation for great works of art as reflections of mankind's ongoing dilemmas.
Arbiters of good taste in language do not abound in today's environment, and Bob's departure means their number is one fewer.
Gerry Shields, a colleague from 1980 through 1986
-- Weldon Bradshaw
(An obituary for Bob Livy ran in the April 28, 2011, edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.)
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