Neighbors could spot Robert Brundage Ph.D., with his bushy beard and helmet, pedaling on his bike from one end of Toledo to the other to catch the next social justice meeting, plant trees, hear the latest poetry readings or simply chat with friends.

“No matter if you were black or white, rich or poor, Robert would always be willing to respond to you and love you,” said close friend Joe Zsigray. “In sharing himself with the community, he lives on, and because of that experience of Robert in our lives, there’s a transformation taking place in the lives of many people.”

The 66-year-old activist, scientist and environmentalist died at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center on July 7, leaving what friends describe as a legacy of compassion for Toledo’s history and future. He had been in critical condition since June 22, when 15-year-old Dailahntae Jemison allegedly attacked him and stole his bike.

Robert ‘Dr. Bob’ Brundage at the May 20 ‘Song of Toledo’ concert at the Main Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, Downtown Toledo.

Brundage, who lived on the west end of Toledo and graduated from Jessup W. Scott High School, earned a degree in engineering physics from the University of Toledo, then moved to Boston to graduate with a Ph.D. in biophysics from Brandeis University, according to his Facebook page.

Many careers

“Robert was a walking encyclopedia,” said Warren Woodberry, who worked with Brundage on the “Save Scott High School” campaign.

Before he moved back to Toledo after retiring, Brundage practiced many different careers. He designed medical instruments, researched for a company called Instrumentation Laboratory Inc. and worked as a chemist for the National Bureau of Standards among other professions. He also recorded and edited performances for Harvard University, MIT, New England Conservatory and others, according to Collingwood

ArtsCenter.org.

He brought his love for science, music and the arts back to Toledo, where he used his knowledge to fight for environmental and social rights.

Bill Katakis, who worked with Brundage in Lake Erie Waterkeepers and the Sierra Club, said Brundage could explain pollution and conservation using his chemistry background so everyone could understand the inner-workings of the environment. This, he added, helped club members advocate for preservation and grants to improve the environment.

He was instrumental in getting a grant for the local Sierra Club to conduct a wildlife count and also signed an agreement to offer the Manhattan Marsh, owned by a nonprofit organization, to the Toledo Metroparks for only $1, Katakis said.

Serving as the head of the board for Citizens for Buckeye Basin Parks as well, Brundage cared for his environment so much that he rode his bicycle everywhere, Katakis added.

“Bob would say, ‘Quit relying on oil and coal and embrace alternative energy,’” he said.

Access to nature, education

Brundage also worked with Toledo Grows, participated in seed swaps through the Toledo Botanical Gardens and planted community gardens, said Michael Szuberla, a close friend who knew him through environmental organizations.

“A recurrent theme with him was that kids today did not have access to nature; they didn’t have opportunity that Bob had as a child,” Szuberla said. “Focusing on the whole tragedy of this hopefully will cause the community to improve the living circumstances in the central city.”

He could identify any plant and offer information on the herbal benefits of nature, Szuberla said, adding that Brundage’s favorite tree was the ginkgo tree. Many at the Toledo Botanical Garden knew him as “Johnny Ginkgo Seed” because he wore a metal pot on his head and passed out ginkgo seeds, as they have healthy, herbal effects he advocated.

Brundage also worked in the Central City Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation, Community Shares of Northwest Ohio, Jobs with Justice, Parents for Public Schools, Urban Coalition, Building Bridges toward Racial Harmony and more, according to www.collingwoodartscenter.com.

“He looked at his community as a garden and he was constantly fertilizing and pruning and planting and hoping good would grow,” said Steven Flagg, a friend who worked with Brundage on the Toledo Urban Coalition.

As a “tireless fighter” for education, Flagg said Brundage knew that rebuilding Toledo would not be possible without improving local schools.

Thus, preserving Scott High School was one of his top priorities, Woodberry said. When the Toledo Public Schools’ “Building for Success Program” left Scott High School as one of the last schools to be renovated, the alumni association fought to receive more money from state funds and secure a tax levy to support the school, he said.

Scott High School, which was once home to internationally renowned athletes and scholars, doesn’t even have a running track that other sports teams are willing to use any more, Woodberry said.

Brundage’s knowledge of the history of the school helped the alumni association form logical arguments and eventually win more money and support for the school, he added.

“He was out doing community work and if he wouldn’t have been so involved, he could have sat in his back yard and grew plants,” Woodberry said. “He put his life on the line in concern for the community, and two of his concerns were the Collingwood Arts Center and Scott High School. I believe that there would have been no better tribute to pay him than to continue his concern for those two institutions.”

Woodberry said the struggle to improve Scott High School is not over, and that he and other members of the alumni association are trying to win public support to get their own oversight committee strictly for the high school, to assure that money is spent where it needs to be and when.

Love for the arts

The Collingwood Arts Center, home to a lot of independent Toledo artists and an auditorium that seats a little more than 600 people, was home to Brundage’s love for the arts.

Zsigray said that Brundage impacted the facility with both his spirit and his technical work.

The two of them engineered panels in the auditorium to improve the sound quality a few years ago, and Brundage also changed most of the lighting to energy-efficient alternatives and designed lighting positions to enhance the visibility of the displayed art in the building, Zsigray said.

He also frequented poetry night, serenaded people with his cello playing and connected the Collingwood Arts Center to other groups in the city, artist residents said.

Jane Petitjean, an oil-paint artist, said that some of her favorite memories were when Brundage would wander into her studio and help one of the residents learn to play viola. While attending UT, Brundage had played cello in the Toledo Symphony, according to www.collingwoodartscenter.org.

“What a wonderful source of skill to take the time, without even asking for any money, just out of the sheer joy of wanting to foster the arts and the fire that a musician has within himself,” Petitjean said.

Petitjean could always depend on Brundage to bike past her house, which she and her husband bought from him when they moved here and join them on the porch to cue her in on all the latest art exhibits in town, she said.

Robin Charney also met Brundage at the Collingwood Arts Center. Though she only knew him for a year, she said he had such a lasting impact on her, she learned the value of not being complacent or indifferent, and learning history to improve the future.

“He always talked about his garden and the indigenous plants and about a week before this happened he was worried that someone might not understand and appreciate all the flora in his yard and destroy it, and he was hoping that would never happen,” Charney said. “We talked about how we could really learn something from the Europeans so that we could let all the soft edges of nature grow. A lot of times Americans want things that are very straight and sharp, and if we would let things creep into the cracks, it’s much more beautiful to have that softness around our lives instead of sharpness.”

Shocking attack

Really focusing to improve life for disadvantaged children, when Brundage returned to Toledo, he got involved in countless organizations and was a valuable asset to the Urban Coalition, Flagg said.

Still shocked that a 15-year-old boy, the very type of person Brundage wanted to help, confessed to attacking him, Flagg said that Brundage probably would have wanted the kid to learn from his consequences but for the justice system to rehabilitate him, not lock up for life.

Jemison faced only an aggravated robbery charge before Brundage died, but now could also be sentenced for aggravated murder or murder charges, if found guilty, said Lori Olender, assistant prosecuting attorney. She said that she will attempt to certify him as an adult, but the process takes about six weeks.

First, Jemison would face a probable cause hearing; a court psychologist would evaluate him to determine whether he can be rehabilitated, and social history studies will be conducted on him, she said.

If Jemison faces charges as juvenile, he could be incarcerated at the Lucas County Juvenile Detention Center until he turns 21, but if he is tried as an adult, he could face 15 years to life in prison, Olender said.

One of Brundage’s friends, Kris Moazed, told the hundreds of people who attended the first vigil for Brundage at the Collingwood Arts Center on June 23, that Brundage would want everyone to pray not only for him, but for Jemison as well.

Close as family

Brundage is survived by two sons who live in the Boston area, and four brothers who are all still living, Szuberla said. But many of his friends felt as close as family to him as well, many people said at the June 22 vigil.

Brundage always connected people and groups and tried to get as many people involved with different causes as he could, Szuberla said.

“Before the Internet there was Bob,” he said. “He would go to meetings with flyers and if we had a special event, Bob would spread it to every corner of Toledo.”

From one corner to the other, friend Jeff Nelson said that Brundage never lost energy to win justice for the disadvantaged and the environment.

“Sometimes being involved sucks the life out of you and it’s a very slow process. Democracy can be very slow sometimes and inefficient,” Nelson said. “Dealing with so many groups can be pretty tiresome, but Bob was very good at all this stuff because he was very patient and dogged.”

As of press time on July 9, the family had not released any public memorial service plans. Many friends wanted to name a park after Brundage, and Mayor Carty Finkbeiner is working on the idea but doesn’t have a specific park chosen yet, said Public Information Officer Megan Robson.

In a family statement released on July 7, his family said, “As sad as the family is, now is the time to celebrate his life and legacy for community improvement. His passion for serving others will always be remembered, and his dedication to his hometown will live on.”

Honoring Robert

Art by Lisabelle

“The way to honor Robert — he wouldn’t tell you to send flowers; if you wanted to plant trees that would be something that he would agree with,” Flagg said. “And ride your bike instead of going to the store in your car. Do something to make life a little better for yourself and those around you.

Artist remembers Robert Brundage

“Dr. Robert Brundage will be missed. He was an icon of Toledo and truly an inspiration to me. I was honored to paint him and honored to give my permission to Toledo Free Press to share a vision of Robert in oil. The large tree in the foreground is his favorite tree; he and I took walks — as he showed it to me, and he requested the Ginkgo Biloba tree be in his portrait.”

— Lisabelle, Art by Lisabelle (www.lisabelle-artist.com)

Memorial service

A memorial service for Brundage is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 24 at the Collingwood Arts Center.

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