FYI all…
Bobby Newham was a life-long friend of mine. After the initial shock of reading about his passing in George’s email & his formal obit, I posted this on my Facebook page. In light of the surprising response, I thought I’d transmit it here for your eyes as well, thank you:
Most sadly, I just found out about the passing of one of my childhood buds…
I had known Bobby Newham (“Noop”) for most of my life. The four of us in our core group–me (Mac), Bruce Blandino (Blan), Mike Egler (Stretch) & Noop–were the personification of “opposites attract” you might say–while basically inseparable in our youth back in the old “hood.” After all these years, we’d still usually manage to spend an evening together for some drinks and hearty grins whenever I’d get back to “the Burgh” every two years or so since I made my way to California in 1972.
Interestingly, as to our hood, unlike the rest of us, Noop wasn’t an actual projector, (our term for resident of Broadhead Manor, the westside City of Pittsburgh Housing Project, now an extinct tenement apartment complex after being bulldozed out of existence decades ago due to the crime problem that finally was declared to be utterly beyond salvage).
Noop’s family lived in a regular house on a regular & hilly street, but just literally a “stone’s throw” from the “projects” so that Noop was characterized as a projector through proximity and thereby cultural osmosis. And bless his big ole’ heart, he bore the scars bravely and communally, and we loved him for it. For the most part, the four of us somehow managed to stay out of trouble, largely due to the efforts of our mothers who instinctively knew the dangers of our surroundings. They also did their best to keep our noses clean by steering us into Catholic schools.
Noop and I became closer in our early teenage years, when low and behold, we both believed we had discovered our vocation–to become priests! We actually entered St. Fidelis Seminary just outside of Butler PA for our freshman year of high school. (Did I really discover on a Burgh road trip a decade ago that the seminary had been transformed into a juvenile detention center?!) Well in any event my tenure was a bit short–I withdrew at Easter break, but Noop managed to stick it out through HS & college to the novitiate stage, or until he met Robin, not quite sure the correct chronology there. Actually his extended spiritual commitment was a bit puzzling, since among all of us Noop was always the most inquisitive. He always wanted to know the “why” of things, which probably led him to his general interest in science…and in retrospect, all of life I suppose…
Even through his extended seminary days, Noop never forgot his roots, and we’d all get together at semester or summer breaks. We’d raise hell and laugh & laugh with each other and at each other. Exposing the secrets of childhood, but only to each other of course, had a way of instantly reducing each other to our lowest common denominator, but we always would walk away smiling at each other and looking forward to seeing each other again.
Albeit occasional adult get-togethers, all of us dutifully went on to have our own separate lives, different careers and families. And so to the others whom Noop unconditionally loved far beyond we projectors of long ago–wife Robin and children Chris, Craig & Chad, I send big emotional hugs and well wishes. I want you to know that your husband and dad has ALWAYS been one helluva guy, and one of the most interesting and genuine people I have ever met. I’ll always remember his tremendously raw sense of humor and his bellowing laugh, always instantly balanced by his real sincereity and compassion.
Well, RIP Noop…I’m sure your last ever question “why” has been answered to your satisfaction…Visits to the Burgh just will never be the same anymore…Love you man…
Robert W. McNamara
captrwmc@aol.com
St. Fidelis Seminary Class of 1965 