Robert S. Sullivant

Robert S. Sullivant, 89, passed away on September 25, 2014. He was born at home on January 23, 1925 in Williams, Arizona to Alexander and Gladys (Hackett) Sullivant. He spent his formative years in Riverside, California and graduated from high school at the age of 16. He began his undergraduate education at Riverside College prior to serving in WWII, entering the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943. During his years in the military, he completed programs in meteorology, communications, and radar flight at Yale University, Harvard University, and M.I.T. He received his Bachelors (Phi Beta Kappa) and Masters degrees at U.C.L.A. and completed his Ph.D. (Political Science) at the University of Chicago. He began his teaching career at the University of South Dakota in 1951 and married Enid Olsen in 1952. His career in academics included positions at Georgetown University, DePauw University, the University of Chicago, and Harvard University. He was named professor of Political Science and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri - St. Louis and ultimately served as the Executive Vice President of the University of Toledo. His primary academic focus was Soviet Politics, and his fluency in the Russian language served him well on multiple unique trips to Russia prior to the fall of the Soviet Union. Throughout his life, he had many passions. He particularly enjoyed classical music, and he was an accomplished violinist and devoted attendee at both Toledo Symphony and Toledo Opera performances. Bob spent time with friends around the card table (a member of multiple bridge groups) and at sporting events (a devoted UT fan). He had a strong commitment to his own church, while maintaining an encompassing and embracing sense that faith is not bound by one religious pathway. During his retirement, he was able to fully pursue his love of travel, planning the next trip or cruise as soon as returning from the previous one! He was an interesting and interested man, following world affairs and current events, and reading the daily paper religiously, even in his last days. He never lost touch with his southern California roots, continuing a lifelong routine of swimming and finding greatest peace and happiness with family on or beside the ocean. We will remember him best as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, a charitable man with a sense of humor and a loving heart. Robert is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Enid (Olsen) Sullivant; his children, Wayne (Beverly) Sullivant, Stephen (Larissa) Sullivant, Barbara (Mustafa) Akl, and Cynthia (Timothy) Byrket; his 12 grandchildren, Joshua, Nicholas, Cory, and Wesley Sullivant, Alla and Michael Sullivant, Sara and Tanya Akl, and William (Sarah), Theresa, Katherine, and John Byrket; and his sisters, Eloise Williams and Margaret Pattison. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at Epworth United Methodist Church, 4855 W. Central Ave., Toledo, OH 43615. The family would especially like to thank the loving caregivers at Swan Creek Retirement Village and Senior Independence Hospice. Those wishing to leave a memorial in Bobs honor may wish to consider a charity of their choice.