72-year-old says he's having too much fun

By Doris Wedge

For the Transcript

Bob Staples started working when he was in the sixth grade, with jobs at a dairy farm and grocery store outside of school hours, he recalls.

Now, at 72, he is still working full-time and has a full schedule of family and volunteer responsibilities. He is not planning to retire.

"I am having too much fun" he says.

Staples' career includes 28 years in the Marine Corps, followed by more than 20 years using his skills in electrical engineering and management in the private and public sectors.

His Marine Corps career began soon after high school. With a lackluster high school career behind him ("I didn't apply myself," he says), he had entered college, but soon dropped out, his classwork falling victim to "the fraternity, girls and not applying myself." In the Marine Corps, he worked his way up to "buck sergeant," and then was one of 50 chosen to attend college for a degree in engineering. He was interested in Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but his high school and early college record got in the way of that goal, he recalls.

He entered OU on a two-year probationary status. After his first semester, having aced 16 hours of coursework, he appealed the probationary status and went on to finish his electrical engineering degree in just three years.

"I went to summer schools, because I was so anxious to finish and get back to the Marines Corps." He retired after 28 years as a lieutenant colonel, having served at duty stations around the world, including tours in Vietnam, Japan and at the Pentagon.

His work in the Mideast for a private enterprise involved overseeing the installation of communications systems. His wife, Cherie, favored living in Norman over the restrictions placed on women in the Mideast, so she maintained their home here taking advantage of occasional trips to the Mideast as a starting point for visiting many other parts of the world, he says. When he left employment in the Mideast, he joined the family in Norman in 2000.

He hit the ground here running, working for the National Severe Storms Lab. His first task was to oversee the installation of the new Phased Array Radar (PAR) on north campus. Next he served as the NSSL's on-site overseer for the new National Weather Center construction project. Now he is special projects consultant for the National Severe Storms Lab.

"I am supposed to work six hours a day," he says. But most days he is on the job by 5:30 in the morning, and not home until 2 or 3.

"I got in the habit of getting an early start many years ago, when I was at the Pentagon," he says. He recently was honored as one of two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Team Members of the Month. His busy schedule didn't allow him to attend the presentation ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Staples' dedication to serving his community takes many forms, from delivering Meals on Wheels with his wife as his partner to co-chairing the mayor's committee on ending chronic homelessness in Norman. Staples recently co-chaired the Norman CROP Walk. He serves on the board of the Salvation Army, and is active in the Oklahoma Marine Corps Coordinating Council which provides support services for Marine veterans in the state.

He is active in Kiwanis Club projects for children and youth, and is president of the club which just celebrated its 85th anniversary in Norman. An active member at McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church, he is an usher at Sunday morning services. On top of those responsibilities, you will find him at all City Council meetings.

"I want to show them my support," he says.

Humble about his volunteer work, he shrugs his shoulders and says, "I am doing what I can for the city and society."

An avid runner most of his life, Staples has run in many marathons, not trying to set speed records. "My goal was always to complete the run."

He was in the middle of a 5K fundraiser at Eisenhower Elementary School 18 months ago when he collapsed. His heart stopped for several minutes. Thanks to the quick action of first responders, he survived. He was in a coma for 48 hours, and the family was advised that he would undoubtedly have extensive brain damage. "They were already dividing up my football tickets," he jokes today, thankful for recovering without any brain damage. He returned to work two weeks later, and resumed running with a newly installed defibrillator. "I am limited to no more than five miles at a time," he says.

He doesn't slow down very often to reflect on the past, but he remembers fondly the world he grew up in and the contrast to today's world. "It was a great life. I hurt for the kids these days. We rode our bikes for miles. Neighborhoods were neighborhood." His voice drifts off in thought.

"I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and the Lord gave me the opportunity to do all these things. I am enjoying life right now."

In addition to recommitting his life to the Marine Corps if given the chance, there is one other thing that he would do again, he says.

"I would marry Cherie again," he says of the woman who raised their five children and maintained their home during his long absences. "Her work was bigger than mine."

Their two sons, John and Robert, reside in California; two daughters, Debbie Kelleher and Donna Sue Hale, live in Norman, and a daughter, DeeAnn Marshall, lives in Ardmore. They have five grandchildren.