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Bob
Jennings (1939-2004)
“The
geese pass swiftly, but the song does not. I sit in the growing
dusk and remember the gift sent down. I cannot fly and I cannot
match their song, but I can, for a moment find their freedom within
myself. It is enough.” — Bob
Jennings, “From the Stump”
 Robert
G. Jennings passed away September 15, 2004 from metastatic melanoma
and is now on his way to that great nature center in the heavens.
He’s sitting on a tree stump smoking his pipe, enjoying a
fine beer, and watching for another bird to add to his life list.
Bob was born October 25, 1939, in Muleshoe, Texas. He graduated from Wentworth
Military Academy and served in the U.S. Navy. After graduating from the
University of Missouri–Kansas City with a masters in biology, he
directed the Lakeside Nature Center, part of the Kansas City, Missouri,
Parks and Recreation Department, where he initiated an outdoor education
program.
On September 15, 1977, he became the first director of Oxley Nature Center.
For the next 25 years he led and inspired Tulsans to preserve a portion
of Mohawk Park, creating a nature center that is nationally renowned for
its interpretive programs. Over the years, Bob received many awards for
his leadership as a naturalist and interpreter.
Bob held nearly every elected office and volunteer position possible within
NAI, including stints as secretary and vice president for administration
on the national board, regional director, and section chair. He was posthumously
awarded the NAI Fellow—the association's most prestigious award—in
2004.
Among his interests were collecting and playing Taylor guitars, observing
birds (his life list totals 668) and tasting beers (842). He enjoyed traveling
with his wife Kelly to musty historical sites, the Pacific Northwest, and
to birding hot spots. As he put it in the Oxley newsletter: “I’m
curious, a gift I’m profoundly thankful for. Just think how boring
it would be never to wonder why.”
Bob was known for his “From the Stump” columns in the Oxley
newsletter. When his friends decided he might never get “off the
stump” and write a book, they collected several of his columns to
be published in the book From the Stump. He coauthored a bird guide of
Midwest birds to be published by Lone Pine Press.
He is survived by his wife and soul mate of 34 years Kelly (Kathryn Lynn)
Jennings, her parents Cora and Albert Borgmier, cousins, nieces, cats BooBoo
Kitty and Captain Whiz Bang, and a multitude of friends from coast to coast.
Bob was deeply loved by many whose lives he touched. He will be sorely
missed.
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