(The following was distributed by Fullerton College on Thursday. Services information is at the bottom.)
The Hornet family suffered a big loss last night as longtime beat writer and sports editor for the Fullerton Daily News Tribune, Bob Lenard, passed at the age of 84.
Bob was more than just a writer/sports editor for the North Orange County area; he was family to the Fullerton College Physical Education and Athletics Department. In particular, he loved and is loved by the Hornet women’s basketball team, where he spent most of his time after retiring in 1992 watching all of the games and practices. Bob watched his last practice in the Hornets Nest Wednesday afternoon and passed later that night.
Former Fullerton College head basketball coach Debi Woelke was very close with Bob working with him for over fifteen years. An only child and never married, Bob did not have a biological family to speak of, however Woelke and the Hornets filled that void. She truly did her best making sure that Bob was comfortable in the last few of years of his life.
Current FC head basketball coach Marcia Foster and assistant coach Neal Day built close bonds with Bob taking care of and getting him to and from his much-loved Hornet practices every day.
Inducted into Fullerton College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007, Bob Lenard was born August 2, 1932 in Lakewood, California and was practically born a Hornet. He followed and supported Hornet Athletics for more than sixty years of his life. Lenard attended Van Nuys High School then went on to study at Santa Monica College from 1952-54. He then attended USC in the fall of 1954. Soon after graduating in the spring of 1957, Lenard was hired at the Fullerton Daily News Tribune where he would eventually become the Sports Editor in December of 1961. Bob was a trailblazer being the first male sports editor to put women’s sports to print in 1969. In 1973, Title 9 passed requiring equality for both genders in sports. Lenard worked and wrote at the Tribune for the next 23 years, until the paper folded in December of 1984. From there, Bob moved on, and wrote for the Daily Racing Form until he retired in June of 1992. Bob lived in Buena Park, California, for most of his adult life.
A ceremony in Bob’s memory will be held on Saturday, November 5th at the Fullerton College women’s basketball alumni game on the Colleen Riley Court at 5:00 pm.
