March 15, 1932  –  October 14, 2023
Robert Dewey Bond Sr., of Hamilton NY, died peacefully at the Brookdale Independent Living Center in Clinton NY on October 14th, 2023. He was 91 years old. Bob was born on March 15th, 1932, in Ithaca NY. His father Maurice C. Bond was a Professor of Agriculture and Economics at Cornell University. Bob’s mother Flora, a classically trained pianist from Barnard Vermont, raised Bob and his older brothers Brad and Phil near the Cornell campus on Mitchell Street. Bob spoke fondly of faculty dinners at his childhood home, sledding and sporting events on campus, and hearing his beloved university chimes from his bedroom daily. An Ithaca boy through and through, Bob graduated from Ithaca High School in 1951. He remained active in Ithaca High School reunions and alumni groups until his passing. Bob graduated from Springfield College in 1955, majoring in Physical Education with a minor in Biology. He joined the Marine Corps Reserves in 1953, which included Basic Training on Paris Island and active duty from 1955-57 in Virginia, California, and finally Okinawa. Upon release from the Marine Corps in 1957, Bob embarked on his true calling in life as a science teacher. He took graduate courses at the University of Vermont from 1957-59, where he met and later married his first wife, Marlene Delores Mansfield, of Stowe, VT. With some graduate credits under his belt, Bob and Marlene left Vermont for Cornwall, NY, where Bob taught science from 1959-63. Bob participated in several summer programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation at Vassar, Cornell, Suny New Paltz, Cortland, and Oneonta. He would later complete a Masters of Natural Sciences with a concentration in Geology at the University of Oklahoma in 1968. https://www.burgessandtedescofuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Robert-D-Bond?obId=29542493