When Bob Carpenter keeps insisting he is retired, it’s just difficult for me to buy that.
“I just like to be with my wife (Kay), my dog and enjoy my backyard and flowers and plants,” he said as he leaned back during a quick interview at The Daily Sun.
Carpenter has wore many hats in his years living in Ohio, Hawaii and Charlotte County.
He’s known for a lot of things, but his coverage of the Kent State University deadly shootings of students by the National Guard in 1970 will always be near the top of his experiences.
But he sure has a bunch of other more pleasant memories to hang his hat on.
One of those came recently when the Kiwanis honored him with the Gregg Tubbs Bravery Award.
“That one floored me,” he said. “Gregg passed away about three years ago, but before that he and I did so much together for the Kiwanis. That award really meant something to me.”
Bob has been called Mr. Kiwanis.
That’s because he has been in the organization 52 years and has a 49-year string of perfect attendance at its meetings. He admits he had to miss a couple of meetings but he made them up with service and by attending Kiwanis meetings elsewhere.