I had the occasion to participate in a “Birthday Party” this past weekend at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Riverside. The subject of the occasion was Dell Roberts who was celebrating his 75th birthday. Actually, I always thought Dell was 29, so I was quite surprised to find out that he was 75!!
Dell clearly gave a vast part of his work life (38 years) to serving the students of RUSD in a variety of roles. I realize that I am the new kid – having been here only 2½ years. However, I can tell you that when I arrived I heard a lot about Dell and his contributions and given time to reflect I can see it was my loss for not having been here to be part of the time Dell spent directly with RUSD. On the other hand, since I have been here (and Dell has not been employed by RUSD), I have seen Dell everywhere throughout the community – always contributing, encouraging, holding people accountable, and mentoring. His contributions did not stop because he was no longer employed by our District. Dell continues to contribute everyday.
My life has been enriched because I have known Dell Roberts and been in Riverside. Happy Birthday, Dell!!
I have had the privilege of knowing Dell Roberts for over 20 years, during the later part of his tenure with RUSD and more importantly as he has journied with many, many students in the Riverside Community. He always has a smile, kind words and always, always a huge bear hug. It would be nice to see his commitment to the students of Riverside Unified School District commemorated in some way.
ReplyDeleteMickey McDonald