Robert B. Van Cleve ’54

Bob was dubbed “Mobe” by his Andover classmates after his hometown of Moberly, Mo. He died July 8, 2019, shortly after attending the class’s 65th reunion.

At Princeton he was a pre-med chemistry major and joined Tower Club, where he was athletic director and led the club to the 1954 Interclub Championship.

Mobe married Sarah Towers while pursuing a medical degree at Columbia Medical School and went on to residencies at the University of Virginia and Washington University, to two years as a lieutenant commander in the Navy, and to a Harvard fellowship in cardiology at Massachusetts General. He and Sarah moved to Jacksonville, Fla., where he joined the Riverside Clinic and admitted its first black patients. He volunteered weekly at the County Medical Center treating indigent patients and as a University of Florida adjunct professor teaching interns and nurses.

Mobe was devoted to his Lord, serving as a Presbyterian Elder and trustee; to his four children, Beth ’80, Catherine ’81, Sis, and Robert; and to his 11 grandchildren. He still found time to win championships in club golf and tennis, city pingpong, church checkers, and to travel to six continents. He was known for his inclusiveness and as a mentor of youth.