Bob Lundquist passed away Sunday night, February 8, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Jackie, five children and stepchildren, and eight grandchildren. Bob was, of course, one of our best-known classmates, in part, because of his incredible musical talent and booming personality. Some of our best reunion memories are standing around the piano forgetting the lyrics to old rock ’n’ roll songs as Lunk entertained us until the wee hours. How many of us just have to think of Lunk whenever we hear Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On?
Not only was Bob an incredible musician but he was also one of the best athletes at Dartmouth during the time that we were there. He was an all New England running back and was offered a contract with the Denver Broncos. Although he was not a terribly serious student, he was a highly intelligent guy and earned very respectable grades with a modicum of effort.
After graduating from Dartmouth, he formed a band and headed for Vegas. His band performed regularly at the Las Vegas Hilton and even opened for Elvis on several occasions. After a year of debauchery, as he described it, he decided to get serious and enter the University of Arizona law school where he became an excellent student. He practiced law quite successfully in Arizona up until shortly before his death.
Apart from reunions, I know Bob frequently got together with classmates over the years. He had a deep affection for Dartmouth, his Sig Ep brothers, his teammates, his fellow band members and friends. He was always urging many of us to visit him in “the desert” and enjoy the great southwest that he loved so much.
Just five months ago Steve Adams, Bill Stableford and I had a great visit with Bob and his family in Tucson. It was a nostalgic, long weekend of story telling, smoking cigars, playing poker and indulging in a few adult beverages. Although Bob was struggling at times, he insisted that we all drive up to the summit of Mount Lemmon just to soak in the natural beauty. Several times he made us stop the car and walk close to the ledge of a beautiful vantage point. He refused to let the oxygen tank that he pulled behind him get in his way of sharing those moments with his buddies.
He was strong and determined to the end. I am sure he will long be remembered as a charming and talented guy who was driven to excel in the activities he loved. He even excelled as a terminal cancer patient. He exceeded by several years the life expectancy estimates given to him by his medical team. There was no quit in Lunk and his determination was inspirational.
He will always be missed, especially at class gatherings, as he was at our last reunion. I know he had hoped to make it to our 50th reunion in a dramatic comeback from his illness. Unfortunately, that was not to be; but he will certainly be there in spirit, especially when any of us try to get a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on…
Bob’s obituary from the Arizona Daily Star is available online.
These classmate obituary pages are our attempt to honor and remember classmates who have passed away. We have attempted to find and share a public obituary and have added some photos and classmate comments. In some cases we have not been able to find an obituary. If you know of an obituary where one is missing, please let us know. If you have a remembrance you think is important to share, please let us know. Comments can be submitted through the Contact Us form on this web site.