Biography of Bobby (Bob) Gene Stephens
Bob was born in Glendale, attended Glendale elementary
school and graduated from Pacolet high school in 1953. After high school,
he attended Wofford College where he was a member of the Army ROTC. He
graduated from Wofford in 1957 with a BS degree in Chemistry.
After graduation from Wofford, he served two years in the Army as a 2nd/1st
Lieutenant. Upon completion of his military service, he returned to South
Carolina for further education. He enrolled in Clemson University and went
on to acquire both a masters degree and a Ph.D. degrees in chemistry.
Upon graduating from Clemson, he returned to Wofford as a professor and
taught chemistry until 1972. At this time he was promoted to academic dean.
He served in this position until 1980. In 1980 he accepted the position
of president of MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois.
He returned to Wofford in 1986 as vice president of technology, retiring
from that position in 2000. He is still involved at Wofford helping raise
money from private foundations. In retirement, his main interests are his
grandchildren (10 of them), golf, car restoration (1955 Chevy), and Glendale.
Bob is heavily involved in various projects to promote the interests of
Glendale and has been pivotal in establishing these projects. Bob is also
on the Board of the Spartanburg Hub City Writers Project.
He married Sandra Elizabeth White from Spartanburg in 1957. She graduated
from Converse College and has taught English in Spartanburg School District
7 from time to time. She retired from Spartanburg High in 1998. Bob and
Sandra have four children: Barbara Elaine (1958), Edward Dewey (1959),
Robert Todd (1954), and Adam Mott (1967). Elaine has two daughters, Ward
has two daughters and a son, Todd has two sons, and Adam has two daughters
and a son. Elaine is a restaurant manager in Atlanta, Ward is a lumber broker
in Greenville, Todd is the head librarian for Spartanburg County, and Adam
lives in Spartanburg and is regional manager for Thompson Communications.
In his youth, Bob had a taste of the textile industry in a summer job.
He worked for three months during the summer of 1953 on the third shift at
Arkwright's Camp Croft cotton mill. His dad was the second shift plant supervisor
there then and his job was sweeping and oiling. His job in Glendale (not
the mill) was from 10th through 12th grades at Hopper's grocery across the
bridge as delivery boy.
(There is an interesting coincidence in Bob’s family about birthdays.
His grandmother, Lula Belle Mott, (his mother's mother) was born at 3 pm
on Saturday, December 18 in 1886. She died at 3 pm on Saturday, December
18 in 1971 on her 85th birthday! But there is more: One of Bob’s son,
Ward's daughters was born on December 18 and two years later one of his
son, Adam's daughters was also born on December 18. )
(Click on this link to
read about the Stephens, Brown and Mott families.)
(Click on this link for biography
of June Elaine Stephens Bowman, Bob's sister.)
Return to Glendale Homepage
This web site has been started as a public service
to share the story of Glendale. The web master and person to contact
about putting information on the web site is Mary McKinney Teaster. Contact
her at: marylee@glendalesc.com or
by telephone at (843) 873-8117. See more information about
Mary and her Glendale connection at Mary McKinney
Teaster.
