Our party at the summit of Abercrombie Mountain

Our party at the summit of Abercrombie Mountain

Our party at the summit of Abercrombie on Sep. 22, 2002. In the center are Bob Martin and his wife Dotty. He is the person recognized as having summitted more mountains with a minimum of 300 feet of prominence than any other person in the world, with 5,700+ such summits, mostly in Colorado and Arizona. Click here for a list of all known climbers with 1,000 or more summits. Yours truly and my wife Rhonda are on the left, and SPer Roberta (theplugger) and her husband Jay Arden are on the right. They are long-time friends of Bob and Dotty Martin, and it was through their friendship that we had the opportunity to participate in this hike.
Bob Bolton
on Dec 18, 2003 11:50 pm
Image Type(s): Informational
Image ID: 36140

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Dean

Dean - Dec 19, 2003 1:00 am - Voted 10/10

Outstanding group !!!

Often I will give 4 stars to a picture but this is a group who deserves 4 stars for their passion for the mountains. You are all heroes to me. Great pic.

Dave K - Dec 22, 2003 3:42 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Outstanding group !!!

Yup, couldn't agree more!

Aaron Johnson

Aaron Johnson - Dec 29, 2003 3:20 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: Outstanding group !!!

What a wonderful picture. I'm proud to have some SP friends featured in this photo with their esteemed colleague. Outstanding!

Bob Bolton

Bob Bolton - Dec 29, 2003 11:15 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Outstanding group !!!

Thanks for the comments guys. Those two days with Bob Martin were very special to me. He's an incredible man, and it was pure joy talking to him. This was their first trip to Washington, BTW. SP is a terrific resource, not least for the opportunity to get acquainted with people like you. I hope to meet you all in person someday soon!



Bob

Alan Ellis

Alan Ellis - Jan 27, 2004 6:56 am - Hasn't voted

Bob Martin

He was featured in either Rock and Ice or Climbing magazines a couple of years ago. His mountain accomplishments are unbelievable. Do you know how old he is Bob?

Bob Bolton

Bob Bolton - Jan 27, 2004 9:55 am - Hasn't voted

Re: Bob Martin

He was 80 or 81 at the time of this photo, so he's 81 or 82 now probably. Tomorrow Roberta and Jay are heading down to AZ to join Bob for more. The man is like the Energizer Bunny! He's climbed everything in Colorado with 300-foot prominence down to 11,000 feet, and is working on the 10ers. And that's just the beginning!

Proterra

Proterra - Feb 15, 2006 9:22 am - Voted 10/10

Scott,

When did you become bald and started growing a beard?

Bob Bolton

Bob Bolton - Feb 17, 2006 2:50 am - Hasn't voted

Re: Scott,

Scott who?

Proterra

Proterra - Feb 17, 2006 1:28 pm - Voted 10/10

Sorry,

Wasn't paying attention. Thought the pic was by Scott Patterson.

Bob Bolton

Bob Bolton - Feb 17, 2006 3:37 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Sorry,

No problem - I guess the Married Couple album is Scott's, and it'll be a bit confusing until we get accustomed to the new site. -Bob

Bob Bolton

Bob Bolton - Dec 26, 2008 9:27 pm - Hasn't voted

Rest in peace, Bob

In Memory of the Unstoppable Bob Martin, 1920-2008

Bob Martin had three passions in his later years: running and hiking; playing music; and watching sports. After his retirement, he enjoyed all these for 30 years.

Robert Duncan Martin - known to all as Bob - was born on 9 December 1920 in Lexington, Kentucky. He attended the University of Kentucky, Michigan State University, and Purdue University where he received an MS in Statistics. He met Dorothy Houskeeper - known as Dotty - in the orchestra at Purdue University, where they both played flute. They married on 14 August 1942 and played flute duets and chamber music together for over 65 years.

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Bob joined Standard Oil of Indiana, working first in Chicago, then moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma and later back to Chicago, mainly in the area of crude oil purchasing and sales.

Bob and Dotty had three children: Brian lives with his wife Kathy in Wollongong, Australia; Bruce and wife Trish live in Bloomington, Indiana near their children Melinda and Alicia; while Jean and her husband Lynn are in Hammond, Louisiana. Each of the children was started on a musical instrument in Bob's quest to form a family woodwind quintet, but the quest was never quite achieved.

Bob took up running in his 40s, trained persistently and competed in hundreds of races, frequently winning his age division. He also greatly expanded his interest in hiking, setting out to climb Colorado's highest peaks, then the ones over 13,000 feet, then the ones over 12,000 feet, until he had climbed the 1500 highest ones. He also climbed peaks in other states, especially Arizona, and pursued county high points across the U.S. He wrote five hiking books, a couple of them co-authored with Dotty.

Bob's interest in running and hiking took up ever more time after his retirement from Standard Oil at age 56. He and Dotty moved to Tucson, Arizona and spent half of each year in Buena Vista, Colorado. When home, Bob often could be found poring over maps identifying peaks and determining the best way to reach an objective.

In November 2006, after moving permanently to Tucson, Bob suffered a major stroke, followed by another a year later. He put his energy into recovery, joining Dotty every morning for their daily walk, a routine they had shared for decades. He also continued following sports as a spectator, especially college basketball and football, with favorite teams from places he had lived or studied: Kentucky, Purdue, Michigan State, Tulsa, Colorado and Arizona.

Bob died on December 22, 2008 following another stroke and prostate cancer. Until his last week he had been on his daily walks with Dotty, gone on occasional hikes with friends and followed his favorite sports.

He will be missed by Dotty, Brian, Bruce, Jean, other relatives and many friends. Memorial donations may be made to Casa de la Luz Hospice Foundation, 400 W. Magee Rd., Tucson, AZ 85704 or Us TOO Prostate Cancer Education & Support Network, 5003 Fairview Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515.

Dean

Dean - Jan 5, 2009 5:38 pm - Voted 10/10

Nice tribute

I've attached this picture and a section for Bob Martin on the 60 and older Album.

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