Robert B. Beardsley ’55

Bob Beardsley, active in a wide variety of civic affairs, died June 1, 2021, of natural causes at his home in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He was born Sept. 8, 1933, in Clinton, Iowa and adopted in 1938. His adoptive father, Walter Beardsley, was a member of the Princeton Class of 1928.

Bob graduated from Andover where he participated in swimming, tennis, debating, dramatics and the Glee Club. At Princeton he majored in History, joined Cap and Gown Club and in senior year roomed with John Hoffman, David Howell and Pat Ophuls. After Princeton he served three years in the Air Force and studied at the University of Chicago School of Business. In 1965 he joined Miles Laboratories in Elkhart, IN as personal assistant to chairman of the board.

Bob’s lifetime of social friendships notably increased in the last 20 years and included participation in the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida. His activities in Indiana and Boston also included serving as board director of the Boston Civic Symphony, director of Larami Productions, a Boston film venture, committee chair, Massachusetts Association for Mental health, board director, WTRC AM-FM Radio in Elkhart, trustee, Howe Military Academy and board director, First National Bank of Elkhart.

Bob had a continuing love of music, fine arts and architecture. He purchased, restored and lived in several  historic, visually appealing and valuable pieces of real estate in Indiana, Boston, Maine, Portugal, France and Florida. In 1969 he convinced his family foundation in Elkhart to re-purchase Ruthmere, a large Beaux Arts family home, and restore it to its 1910 roots. The Robert B. Beardsley Arts Reference Library of American Domestic Architecture and Decorative Arts and the Robert Beardsley Piano Prize competition were two of his legacies.

He is survived by his husband, Scott Pinto and members of the Pinto family.