Full Name:  Robert Keen Bell, Jr.
     Born:  January 19, 1945, Houston, Tex.
     Died:  February 5, 2020, Tallahassee, Fla.
   School:  Lake Worth High School in Lake Worth, Florida

Year  Pos     Hgt  Wgt  Cl  Ltr  Hometown
65-66 FS      6-3  178  So   *   Lake Worth                      
66-67 FS      6-3  178  Jr   *   Lake Worth                      
67-68 FS      6-3  178  Sr   *   Lake Worth                      

Robert K. (Bob) Bell Jr. passed away on February 5, 2020, at home after a brief illness, at the age of 75. He was born on January 19, 1945 to Robert and Beatrice Bell in Houston, Texas.

Bob spent much of his childhood at military bases after his father continued his military service following WWII. The family traveled first to Texas and then moved on to New Mexico, California, Washington and Nebraska before settling in Lake Worth, Florida in 1954.

An avid fisherman and scuba diver, Bob had a life-long passion for anything to do with the outdoors. During high school (Lake Worth Community High) he excelled as a swimmer and later, was a member of Florida State University's varsity swim team.

Art was yet another passion that shaped Bob's life. He studied graphic arts and advertising design at Palm Beach Junior College and then continued with his studies in 1964 with a bachelor degree from FSU in advertising design. Bob was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.

After graduation he remained in Tallahassee and began a successful career in State Government. Initially working as a freelance artist, he became manager of several graphic design departments. In the early 1970s he became head of the Florida Department of Commerce's graphic design unit. Bob served in similar capacities for the Florida Department of Labor, the Florida Department of State and finally, for the Department of Revenue, retiring in 2006.

Bob's many friends will always remember his endearing love for animals. He never passed a turtle on a road without doing what he could to stop and move the animal to safety. Rescuing an endangered box turtle always brought a special thrill. Somehow, stray cats and dogs always knew they had found a safe and loving home when they showed up at Bob's house. Even a neighbor's huge pig came to know Bob as her best friend. Animals of any sort just sensed his kind and nurturing soul.

He took pride in coming up with creative names for his pets. The neighbor's pig became "Muffin," his most recent dog was "Boneyard" and a three-legged adopted dog answered to "Tripod." Because he said they "purred as loud as boat motors" two of his cats were dubbed "Evinrude" and "Johnson."

Bob's almost encyclopedic memory always amazed friends. He would never simply reference something in a generic way but often accompanied that with a string of detail such as type, model number, manufacturer, working knowledge, as well as brief maintenance tips-even about subjects he hadn't thought about in years.

One of his many areas of interest was history, particularly Florida history. He studied and memorized old maps of the area, which also fed another of his passions - collecting vintage bottles. These old maps showed where long forgotten house sites were and importantly where there might be buried bottles. Over the years he gathered an impressive collection dating from old Spanish era bottles to the present. As a trained artist he loved the ascetics of the old glass, but he also loved 'the hunt'- the research, the search and the thrill of discovery.

He was active on Facebook and loved the social interplay of ideas, as well as serving as an outlet for his passion for writing. Music was also an important part of his life and nothing made him happier than compiling music CD's for friends with carefully crafted arrangements of artists and songs.

Another of his interests was endlessly experimenting with exotic food and drink. His friends could always rely on him for an impassioned review of a local restaurant or market. Before it was widely popular, Bob introduced many a friend to the joys of sushi.

Bob was predeceased by his father, Robert Keen Bell Sr., mother Beatrice Bell George, and younger brother Billy Bell.

Year  Award
1966  NCAA Championships - 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (11th) - Honorable Mention

   Date    Opponent/Meet                  Event                         Place  Results Points
---------- ------------------------------ ----------------------------- ----- -------- ------
            1966 Season
01/22/1966 Georgia Tech                   50-Yard Freestyle               1      22.7    5.00
01/28/1966 East Carolina                  50-Yard Freestyle               2              3.00
01/28/1966 East Carolina                  400-Yard Freestyle Relay        1    3:20      1.75
01/29/1966 North Carolina                 50-Yard Freestyle               3              1.00
01/29/1966 North Carolina                 400-Yard Freestyle Relay        1    3:17.2    1.75
02/26/1966 Florida                        400-Yard Freestyle Relay        1    3:19.1    1.75
03/26/1966 NCAA Championship              400-Yard Freestyle Relay       11    3:14.1    1.00
            1967 Season
01/21/1967 Florida                        400-Yard Medley Relay           1    3:43.5    1.75
01/27/1967 North Carolina                 400-Yard Medley Relay           1    3:44.6    1.75
01/28/1967 North Carolina State           400-Yard Freestyle Relay        1    3:16.4    1.75
02/04/1967 South Florida                  200-Yard Freestyle              2              3.00
02/11/1967 Tulane                         200-Yard Freestyle              2    1:56.5    3.00
02/11/1967 Tulane                         100-Yard Freestyle             ---     49.8   
02/11/1967 Tulane                         400-Yard Freestyle Relay       ---   3:28.9   
02/28/1967 East Carolina                  200-Yard Freestyle              1    1:52.5    5.00
03/03/1967 Miami                          100-Yard Freestyle              1      49.1    5.00
03/03/1967 Miami                          400-Yard Freestyle Relay        1    3:20.5    1.75
03/18/1967 Miami                          50-Yard Freestyle               1      22.4    5.00
03/18/1967 Miami                          100-Yard Freestyle              1      49.8    5.00
            1968 Season
01/12/1968 Georgia                        400-Yard Freestyle Relay        1    3:21.8    1.75
02/01/1968 North Carolina State           400-Yard Freestyle Relay        1    3:22.6    1.75
02/24/1968 Florida                        400-Yard Medley Relay           2    3:56.4   
02/24/1968 Florida                        400-Yard Freestyle Relay        2    3:16.5   
03/09/1968 Alabama                        50-Yard Freestyle               3              1.00