10/17/2007

Reflections on my friend Bob
By Bob Lassahn

A story about Robert Adair's life could fill volumes. A family man, a former military officer, businessman, historian and accomplished writer, he was successful in many pursuits. But I will let someone else tell those stories.

For my own purpose I will skip all the historic background and cut to the chase. Bob was my friend. I have actually known Bob for a relatively short period, a little more than seven years out of his entire lifetime, but in my heart I feel like he was my lifelong friend and I am going to miss him deeply.

Bob came into my life when, in August 2000, I answered an advertisement to become a writer for The Courier. When I sat across the desk from him I noticed immediately that he had a relaxed way and smiled easily. The interview however exposed a deeper insight, making it abundantly clear that he knew exactly where he was headed, what he was looking for and he had no qualms about asking some hard questions. He either liked what he saw in me, or perhaps lacked other candidates with better credentials, but regardless, two days later he called and offered me the job. When I became an employee I really started to learn about the man and he became my mentor as I struggled to adapt to a new career.

Bob was a man with high standards. As the editor he expected a lot from the people who worked under him, but I can honestly say he never asked more than he was personally prepared to deliver. He led by example and never withheld his advice or assistance for someone really interested in learning how to do the job better. He had no patience, however, for someone satisfied to plod along in a mediocre fashion. While he was a career Army man his philosophy was drawn from the nautical "shape up or ship out!"

In large measure The Courier has earned its place in the community because of Bob. He helped to structure the paper. As editor he established and enforced the tenants of accuracy, balance and verification in everything we do. He also believed strongly in presenting everything in a readily understood and even enjoyable manner to the greatest degree possible considering content. Being human we probably miss the mark sometimes, but that is not for lack of trying. Although Bob is not pushing the red pencil these days, his philosophies endure.

In the office we became "Bob A" and "Bob L" to avoid confusion. As I learned how he worked and about his expectations we grew closer. Not that we always agreed on everything. At times we engaged in somewhat intense discussions that probably drove others in the office nuts. But overall, even though we had worn different uniforms and served in very different outfits, our backgrounds had instilled some of the same core beliefs. The former career military officer and a former career cop found common ground in the unlikely venue of newspaper writing, sometimes to the utter frustration of the publisher who (laughingly) swore that we were conspiring against him.

As time passed I got to know Bob beyond the confines of the office and our professional lives. It was obvious that he poured as much effort and energy into his personal life as he did in his work and also obvious he could play as hard as he worked. He did not find it necessary to put on airs, could carry on a lively conversation on a broad range of topics, loved to laugh and could tell a joke as well as many stand-up comics. Bottom line, he was both interesting and fun to be around. He was also the consummate example of a friend, never hesitating to offer his assistance and support where it was needed.

Perhaps the time I enjoyed most during my association with Bob Adair was when we were preparing our new offices for occupancy. For about a month Bob and I got involved in that great equalizer of men called manual labor and although we both sweated and grunted a bit, we had a ball doing the typical "guy thing" with power tools. We brainstormed, problem solved, made mistakes and most of all laughed together, all the while accomplishing something where we could stand back, look at the end result and feel a sense of accomplishment. It just doesn't get any better than that and sadly an opportunity to repeat the experience will never come to pass.

Others may have something more poignant to say about Bob and it may have far greater substance. He was a staunch patriot and soldier, was accomplished professionally and was a devoted family man. All of these points are fodder for a moving story. But most importantly, as he accomplished all these things, I observed and experienced that he was deeply loved and well respected by virtually all who came to know him. In my mind there is no greater legacy.