Robert S. Marcus, 1964
By Ina Marcus Gelfound, Class of 1961
Kindergarten through fifth grade, Bob attended Hawthorne Avenue School. In 1956, our family suffered the tragic loss of our 36-year-old father. This left our 36-year-old mother; a widow with a daughter 13, me, and two sons, Bob 9 and a baby brother, Ira, only 7. All three of us felt a tremendous loss; of course our mother did, too. Bob tried to become the "Man of the House"; can you imagine he was only 9 years old?
...A few years after the loss of our Dad, Mom moved us to Wainwright Street near Chancellor Avenue. This allowed Robbie and Ira to attend Chancellor Elementary School and I was now at Weequahic. These are the years that Robbie's passion and competitive nature began to develop. He joined many sport teams and was always the loudest team cheerleader on any squad for which he played. There was a sense of pride and a legitimate feeling of belonging to the Chancellor/Weequahic neighborhood. The neighborhood became our extended family.
Bucky Harris, coach and Athletic Director at the Chancellor Avenue School Playground, had a big influence in Bob's adolescent years. Mom used sports and after-school activities to keep tabs on us each day, as she now worked full-time. Our Mom made sure that after-school activities, religious school and our Grandparents, filled the void created by one less parent. Bob reacted well and matured into a responsible, successful adult.
...Then came the GLORIOUS WEEQUAHIC YEARS. Bob became the "Leader of the Pack". He organized a group of close friends that were the "in group" at Weequahic for four years. Mr. McLucas, was Bob's Weequahic Football Coach. Number 46 could be seen all over the field, as both an offensive and defensive tackle and guard. Bob wore that number with unmatched pride. Weequahic football was the focus of Bob's teenage years. It was more of an influence than any of our family could have imagined. Bob made the freshman team and then moved up to the varsity team, all in his freshman year. You see, through football, Bob became somewhat of a celeb and he received a 4-year scholarship to play football for Boston University.
After completing BU, Bob was accepted at the New England School of Law (NESL), where he became a Doctor of Jurisprudence, a lawyer. Additionally, he and our brother Ira, who attended NESL at the same time as did Bob, each had articles published in the NESL Law Review. Our mother "kvelled". You can just imagine what it meant to have two sons at the same law school and have them both selected to be published in the same issue of the Law Review.
...Bob treasured those achievements and passionately went on to build a solo law practice in the heart of Beantown. He maintained a prestigious office at 143 Newberry Street and accomplished, what some thought, was the impossible. ...Bob's 30 years as a trial lawyer were marked with many successes. He loved the law and truly enjoyed being a lawyer. In fact, he suffered the first symptoms of his brain tumor while arguing a case before a trial judge in a Boston Court House.
Other defining events in Bob's all too short life include the day he married Shelley Mandel, of Cranston, Rhode Island, and the births of his children. A son Griffin and a daughter Logan, along with their mother Shelley, were the center of his life. Another very sad event was the death of our Mother. Mom died before Bob's children were born. Her passing affected Bob deeply and forever. He admired and loved her so for all the many sacrifices, lessons and values she gave to the three of us, for 22 years as a widow.
...Four years ago Bob suffered the first symptoms of his brain tumor. After what was called successful brain tumor surgery, Bob tried to recover to get back to his old self. He made wonderful strides but he was never able to return to the practice of law. This was one of the most frustrating aspects of his last two years of life. Being a lawyer was who Bob really was. He never felt quite himself after surgery, because he couldn't resume his activities as lawyer.
Bob died May 7, 2000, but his spirit lives on in the memories of his friends, family, business associates and classmates. Bob had a collection of friends till the day he died that went back to his kindergarten days in Newark. The message here is, "It's not the number or length of the years you live, but what you do with the years you have."
Sadly however, Bob never lived to see the meaningful fruits of being a parent. His son Griffin would have graduated from USC's Film School but instead, he was at his father's funeral. Today, Griffin is pursuing and nourishing his talent as a filmmaker. Logan, now a student leader and achiever like her Dad, is a junior at Syracuse University.
To me, Bob, was a best friend, the sister I never had. We had an unusual and unconditional deep love for each other. He was my protector to the day he died.
