As he reflected recently on a full and successful life, Robert Van De Voorde '59 shared a story of a driven learner undeterred by a significant challenge.
Born with 70 percent hearing loss in the midst of The Great Depression, Van De Voorde benefited early from the focused attention of a single teacher in a one-room, country grade school. There, he learned to make up for his hearing deficit by reading lips.
That served him well in a slightly larger high school, where he sat in the front row of every class and teachers spoke directly at him. He graduated with honors.
An affinity for numbers led to a factory payroll clerk position after high school, but co-workers regularly told him he had the talent to do more. And when a layoff notice crossed his desk a year after he started, Van De Voorde decided those men were right.
He enrolled at St. Ambrose College the very next day and his life's trajectory changed in an instant, Van De Voorde said.
"Those first few days, man, I was terrified, but it's the best thing I ever did," he said. "St. Ambrose made me what I am today."
Having grown up shy because of his hearing issues, Van De Voorde said St. Ambrose drew him out of himself, and helped hone the tools he'd use to build a long career in accounting and business.
The Van De Voordes
Having grown up shy because of his hearing issues, Van De Voorde said St. Ambrose drew him out of himself, and helped hone the tools he'd use to build a long career in accounting and business. He joined campus activities, made friends, took to dancing at school events and elsewhere, and met his future wife of 60 years on a dance floor.
His first hearing aids helped him make the most of his campus experience, he said. He wrote for the school newspaper, the Ambrosian News, and was co-editor as a senior. He joined campus activities, made friends, took to dancing at school events and elsewhere, and met his future wife of 60 years on a dance floor.
Bob and Betty Van De Voorde married three weeks after he graduated No. 7 in the St. Ambrose Class of 1959. They raised two children while he became a Certified Public Accountant, and built a 31-year career with Eagles Food Centers Inc., where he ultimately retired as a senior vice president.
Today, Bob keeps active in and around his Rock Island, Illinois, home by volunteering for numerous organizations in various capacities. He also gives financial support to multiple causes, including to his alma mater.
Since 1997, the Bob and Betty Van De Voorde Accounting Scholarship fund has helped dozens of students build their own careers. The couple has also given generously to SAU fundraising initiatives such as the Building Our Future campaign, and Bob and Betty are members of the President's Club and the Bishop McMullen Legacy Circle.
At age 82, Van De Voorde enjoys looking back on his accomplishments but doesn't give a lot of thought to the challenges he overcame.
"I learned to adapt," he said. "I made it all right."
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