Bob Schlemmer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To this day, every time I hear Neil Young sing  Heart of Gold​ ​  I think of Bob Schlemmer. When Bob was a junior at St. Ignatius High School he signed up for the school talent show, and that was the song he played, harmonica and all. I wasn't there that night when he took home first prize, but I was over his house quite a bit in those days, and I'm pretty sure I heard him rehearse it a hundred times.

 

Bob took that sense of hard work with him to Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Finance in 1984.  Bob also has a Bachelor's Degree in Bachelorhood, having remained single while living in Chicago for the last 30 plus years. Being single doesn't mean he doesn't have family, as he boasts of being the favorite uncle to 24 nieces and nephews, some of whom live quite close to him in Chi-­Town.

 

Bob got his career started with First National Bank of Chicago in Institutional Sales and has remained in that line of work ever since, and today holds the position of Sr. Vice President of Institutional Sales with Verdeam, LLC. When he's not working the deal, Bob enjoys little more then traveling; both at home and abroad. Bob has visited 46 states, with only Alaska, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana remaining on his list.

 

Bob has also had his passport stamped a time or two. He has visited Europe, Eastern Europe, Turkey, and Russia. His most amazing and memorable visit was to attend a wedding at the floating palaces of Udaipur, in the Rajasthan region of India. Bob's future plans will include more travel abroad, with maybe a stop in Anchorage, Little Rock, Biloxi, or New Orleans along the way. ​

 

Bob's mom and three of his sisters still live in the Cleveland area, and he tries to get home to see them as often as time permits. He also remembers and appreciates the spirit of the St. Ann's community fondly.

 

On a sad note, Bob has had two sisters pass away as a result of ALS. He appreciates all of those who participated and donated during the "Ice Bucket Challenge." That movement made a great difference, as it helped create additional awareness about a disease whose cure Bob one day hopes is found. It also proved something else to Bob; there are a lot of people in this world who have a heart of gold.