To the editor:

I had many opportunities to work with Bob Billings. We served on the board of Kansas International together; he was an enthusiastic “builder” of that organization. There were many visits to Bob’s office. It was always fun and always an adventure, and I was continually impressed by how fast his mind worked.

I knew Bob gave a lot back to the community and to KU, but it was not until his funeral services that I began to appreciate the dimension of his giving. I cannot begin to list the number of organizations, from women’s groups to children’s groups and all kinds of great community organizations. Many people think of Bob only as a developer. Nothing could be further from the truth.

He was so modest about everything he did that I never knew about most of it.

I hope the entire community can get excited about renaming West 15th Street for Bob. It would be a fitting tribute to a man who gave so much to the Lawrence community. The city of Lawrence could learn a lot from the generosity and modesty of Bob Billings. If we all gave as much to the community as Bob did, we would enjoy an even better place to live.

The slogan “Be like Bob” has stuck with me ever since his passing.

George F. Paley,

Lawrence