1. Bob with his beloved vehicles, including the school bus in which he now lives, and his 1972 Volkswagen van, which will go on permanent display at the Rt. 66 museum in Tulsa.
2. Bob in his bus. PHOTO BY B. JEFFERSON BOLENDER
3. Bob signing his artwork and saying goodbye to people at his last art show at the Cozy Dog. PHOTO BY B. DAVE HINE
4. Gas station architecture is the subject of this 1995 artwork, which speaks for itself.
Bob Waldmire’s farewell tour
continued from page 11
Federalist group and was active in political campaigns starting with Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bob is a peace activist, animal rights activist and bio-regionalist. His vehicles are all mobile billboards for his causes and his many bumper stickers convey his passion. Here are a few examples that I copied down recently: “Peace is Patriotic,” “Resist Much, Obey Little,” “Who Would Jesus Bomb?,” “The Gene Pool Could Use a Little Chlorine,” “Live Simply That Others May Simply Live,” “Better Active Today Than Radioactive Tomorrow,” “The Earth is Full... Go Home,” “Peace Through Music,” Travel Farther... Slower,” “Equal Rights for all Species,” “Support Hemp for a Green Planet” and “Peace Monger.”
Bob’s lifelong interest in nature is especially evident in his love for snakes, which landed him in federal court a few years ago with a charge of bringing a Mojave rattlesnake to Illinois where he put it into an educational display at the Cozy Dog Drive In. As punishment, the judge sentenced Bob to produce illustrations for the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Joliet. He produced a booklet on invasive plants, so he was even able to turn his punishment into something good for the environment.
Bob made his mark as an environmentalist and historian, and now he is becoming history himself; a legendary character who will live on through his great works.
William Crook, Jr., of Springfield was inspired to become a pen and ink artist by R. Crumb and Vachel Lindsay. Since 1990, he’s operated the Prairie Press out of his basement on First Street, producing fine art prints and note cards of local subject matter, ranging from Route 66 to the Blagojevich impeachment proceedings.
