Deceased March 15, 2017
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In Memory
Robert Gearhart “Bob” Dunn was born in Edina, Minn., on Jan. 25, 1923, and died in Princeton, Minn., on March 15, 2017.
At Amherst, Bob was a member of Theta Delta Chi, the football and wrestling teams and the Committee of 14. He entered the class of 1944 but left school to join the Marine Corps in the spring of 1942. He returned to Amherst in 1946 and graduated with the class of 1948. He was recalled by the Marines during the Korean Conflict. After that, he returned to Minnesota.
He married Mary Louise Caley in 1952, and they had five children. She died in 1969. Bob married Bette Hedenstrom in 1972.
Bob’s business career was in retail lumber and building materials. He sold his company, Inland Lumber, in 1989.
Bob served in the Minnesota House and Senate from 1964 to 1980. His interest was mainly in environmental issues, and he and his family planted at least 20,000 trees over the years. After 1980 Bob continued to hold positions in government, such as the chairmanship of the Waste Management Board and the Environmental Quality Board.
In retirement Bob and Bette spent time at their homes in Princeton and on the north shore and traveled the world.
Bob is survived by his wife, Bette; children Ruth (Steven) White, Susan (Chase) Van Gorder, George (Donna) Dunn, Libby (Nathan) Query and Bill (Sara) Dunn; stepchildren Mary (Roland) Leirmo and Bob (Sara) Hedenstrom; 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
He will be missed.
Celeste Ringuette W’48