Robert 'Bob' Sokol, 90, passed away peacefully at Kendal at Hanover on Saturday, October 8, 2016. The son of immigrants, Bob was born in New York City on May 26, 1926 to Oscar and Rosa Sokol. Bob grew up in Manhattan, graduating from Stuyvesant HS and Columbia with a PhD. in Sociology. As a conscientious objector in World War II, Bob served two years in Civilian Public Service work camps throughout the United States. He returned to New York and married his childhood sweetheart, Hilda Weyl, in 1951; they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in June.
Bob began teaching in the Sociology Department at Dartmouth College in 1961 where he remained for over 50 years. While teaching courses, Bob also mentored students, did applied social research, and studied subjects including the lifestyle of freshmen at Dartmouth, marriage and the family, child abuse, and social stratification. Bob was a social activist all his life. Whether marching in Solidarity parades for workers’ rights as a boy in New York or participating in a sit-in against the Vietnam War by blocking a bus of drafted conscripts headed to the induction center, Bob practiced his beliefs. He was an early advocate for women’s reproductive rights as well as the admission of women to Dartmouth. Active in the Civil Rights movement, Bob was a member of the ACLU.
Bob and Hilda have enjoyed much travel over the years. They explored northern Europe, Canada, and the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, and safaried in Africa. By far their favorite getaway is the cabin on Goose Pond in Canaan. Bob helped build the cabin and spent many happy hours maintaining and improving the property. Mostly he enjoyed sharing this oasis with his ever expanding family.
Bob was an avid photographer, faithfully chronicling his family and travels in pictures and film. Though a New Englander for most of his life, Bob never gave up his allegiance to his New York sports teams and The New York Times. As a teenager, he was captivated by instrumental jazz and loved to dance, especially the lindy.
Bob is survived by his wife, Hilda, his three children, Heidi (Steve), Niels, and Kirstin (Don), his grandchildren, Chloe, Colin, Eric, Oliver, and Liza (Mike), Alex (Justin), and Chrissy, his oldest friend, George Baehne, his sister-in-law, nieces and nephews, and his soon-to-be great grandchild.
An online memorial is available at www.rand-Wilson.com.
