Deceased December 31, 1998
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In Memory
On Dec. 31, 1998, Robert B. Sproul ’69 lost a brief but courageous battle with cancer. I am grateful for this opportunity to say a few words about Bob because it was an honor to have been his close friend and to learn from someone who lived so selflessly and with such drive. In some way, I have the sense that a loop is closing because I am able to share his memory in the place where our friendship began.
Bob always lived as if he knew his time would be short. I suppose it was his nature to live intensely, but a serious illness during his sophomore year at Amherst reminded him of his mortality. He was a private person and kept these fears to himself, only sharing them with his wife, Tere, before they married. Typical of Bob, he was concerned that marriage might be unfair to her and their future family. Typical of Tere, it didn’t make a difference.
It was, of course, the time before Bob became a devoted husband and father that I and others in our Amherst class came to know him. For me, our shared experiences at Amherst included football, rugby, the second floor of Morrow and D.U. My memories of Bob in those years are indelible: a personable albeit quiet young man, with strong moral character and integrity; an intense athletic competitor and diligent worker; a guy who was determined to live with “gusto” (a favorite word of his in those years). I recall hearing that he was a champion half-miler and marveled at the pace at which he could encircle the Cage during winter track practice. As president of D.U. one year, Bob made more than one trip to visit with the College administration, summoned for some juvenile misdeed of one of the fraternity brothers. I think his personal integrity and straightforward manner spared the fraternity from what could certainly have been more severe consequences.
After graduation, Bob returned to his hometown of Wakefield, Mass., to work at U.S. Gear as a systems analyst, while studying evenings at Boston University for his M.B.A. We shared an apartment for a couple of years while I was in graduate school at MIT, and our friendship grew. One summer we shared a 21-foot sailboat (a “yacht” to us) in Rockport harbor. At Christmas we decorated the tree in our apartment with nips from the local package store. How we looked forward to removing the “ornaments” after the holiday!
Bob talked me into joining him in rugby again, playing with the Beacon Hill Rugby Club. Together, we won the 1971 New England championships. In the final game of the tournament held at UMass, Bob caught a knee in the chin just before halftime, causing a bad cut that probably needed stitches. Rather than leave the game, Bob had me tape his jaw to his head to close the cut so he could finish the game and not let down his teammates at a crucial time. That was true Bob—he was not going to quit if he could see some way to the finish line.
After international studies at Tufts’ Fletcher School, Bob accepted a teaching fellowship. He drew on his rudimentary knowledge of Spanish and traveled to Colombia where he could pursue his interests in Latin American business and trade. It was there that Bob met Tere, and his life seemed to blossom. In the 25 years since then, Bob and Tere lived in Mexico and Miami, raising son Michael, now an Amherst freshman, and daughter Cristina, a high school sophomore.
The Sprouls settled in Miami, and Bob developed his reputation as an expert in Latin American trade. He worked as a consultant for Arthur Young, managed the Miami Free Zone and built his own consulting practice. I had the great fortune to work closely with Bob in recent years when he successfully opened up Latin American opportunities for a company with which I am affiliated.
More than anything, I think Bob would appreciate being remembered as a loving husband, devoted father and caring friend. We saw each other several times a year, in Boston or Miami. Every Christmas, Bob and his family returned to the Boston area to visit his parents and extended family and to touch base with his close friends. I looked forward to the time our families spent together during these annual visits. Bob had a quick wit and loved to tell my children stories about our days at Amherst, particularly any tales dealing with our “non-scholastic” activities.
When Michael Sproul was accepted at Amherst, Bob made preparations for a family road trip to Massachusetts to give Michael a good send-off. In late August, when the family stopped to spend the night with us at Cape Cod on their way to Amherst, Bob commented that he was experiencing some abdominal discomfort, something he needed to check out when they returned to Miami. Otherwise, he was excited about being at Amherst and seeing the matriculation process from this new perspective. He couldn’t believe he was old enough to witness his son walking in his footsteps. What we didn’t know then was that liver cancer was making its first appearance and would claim Bob’s life within a few short months.
The fall brought a diagnosis of liver cancer and the inevitable battle that ensued. For the most part, Bob received his medical care in Boston. With the tremendous support of Tere and his family, Bob fought valiantly and held out hope that he would beat the disease. Friends who visited him in the last couple of weeks in the hospital found him perplexed that with all his effort, he still couldn’t win this final contest. In the end, I believe Bob was at peace with himself—his concerns were only for his family and how they would fare without him.
Two days before Christmas, Bob and his family returned to Miami, to a tremendous outpouring of love and support from their many friends. He slipped away on New Year’s Eve, peacefully, surrounded by those he loved and who loved him. We’ll miss him greatly, but we’re grateful for having known such a remarkable man.
Gifts may be made in Bob’s memory. Please send contributions to Amherst College directly to the Alumni Office.
Brian E. Boyle ’69