Robert C. Roberts

R.C. Roberts age 100, died at his home September 14, 2009. Visitation will be at Chancellor Funeral Home in Byram Tuesday, September 15, 2009 from 5-7pm. Funeral services will be at Griffith Memorial Baptist Church at 1pm Wednesday. Graveside services will be at Ekron, KY. \ \ Robert Clinton Roberts was born March 11, 1909 in Gusto, Kentucky the child of William Ernest Roberts and Alice Mae Neafus Roberts. He began school at Bald Knob Rural School and graduated valedictorian of Ekron High School in 1926. He did undergraduate work at Western Kentucky Teachers College in Bowling Green, KY and Peabody College in Nashville, TN. He received a BS from Western Kentucky State College in 1934. He completed his M.A. degree from Peabody College in 1941.\ \ He began his teaching career in Meade County, Kentucky. In Kentucky he taught at Guston, Payneville, Wolfe Creek, Brandonburg, Sonora and Ekron. He was a teacher and coach at Brandonburg the year before becoming principal and basketball coach at Ekron High School where he worked from 1936 to 1941. In Mississippi he served as a math and science teacher at Tippah Union and Pinedale from 1930-1933. World War II began during his 1941-1943 tenure as a high school and junior college science teacher and basketball coach at Castle Heights Military Academy at Lebanon, TN. After teaching physics at Arkansas A&M College the summer of 1943, he entered the U.S. Coast Guard. At Lowell, Mass he was trained as an instructor in special machine gun operation. At St. Augustine, Florida he used this knowledge as an instructor. Later he taught Coast Guard Cadets at a Coast guard prep school in Groton, Conn. After WWII he worked a short time at Chattanooga, TN before moving to Decatur, MS in 1946 where he was employed at East Central Junior College as Academic Dean and physics and biology teacher for 13 years. In 1959 he was selected to be Supervisor of Math and Science Education in the State Department of Education. Later he served as Supervisor of Science and coordinator of title III NDEA (National Defense Education Act) to upgrade science instruction in schools. He retired from this position in 1974.\ \ Mr. Roberts was very active in the Mississippi Academy of Science. He served in various positions or committees for 13 years including District Science Fair Chairman in 1956, State Science Fair Chairman in 1957 and President of the Mississippi Academy of Science in 1958. He served as State Membership Chairman of the national Science Teachers Association for several years and as a member and board of Directors of the Mississippi Science Teachers Association.\ \ Service to the community was important to him. He was a member of the Leavell Woods Exchange Club for over 40 years. He was a charter member and past president of the Jackson Audubon Society. He was a former member of the board of directors for the South Jackson Boys Club. While living in Decatur he worked as a Boy Scout organizational representative. He also served on the Keep Jackson Beautiful Committee.\ \ His strong Christian beliefs played an important part of his life. He loved God and he loved his fellow man. He joined the Salem Baptist Church in Ekron, Kentucky as a youth. While at Decatur, MS, he served as a deacon, choir member, Sunday School Teacher and Sunday School Superintendent at Clarke Venable Baptist Church. He also worked as General Associational Sunday School Superintendent in Newton County. He joined Hillcrest Baptist Church in 1959. At Hillcrest he served as a Sunday School Teacher, Sunday School Superintendent and choir member. In 2001 he joined Griffith Memorial Baptist Church where he was a faithful member until his death. Many will remember his playing hymns on the harmonica during morning worship service on senior day.\ \ On September 25, 1937 he married Mary Lee Holmes from Butler, Kentucky. She was his loving companion for approximately 72 years. She shared his love of science and education. Robert C. Roberts was preceded in death by his parents William Earnest and Alice Neafus Roberts as well as by his brother William Alton Roberts. He is survived by his wife Mary Lee Roberts, his son Dr. Robert Holmes Roberts (wife Vikki) of Germantown, TN and daughter Dr. Anne A. Roberts (husband Dr. Glenn Herrington) of Jackson, MS. He left 4 grandchildren David Roberts of Washington, DC, Dan Roberts of Germantown, TN, Laura Herrington Jarrett (husband Alan) of Jackson, MS, and Charles Herrington of Jackson, MS.\ \ Robert C. Roberts will be remembered by his family and friends as a man of integrity, a man of great energy and a sense of duty, a man who loved his family dearly, a man with strong Christian beliefs, a man gifted with musical ability and a man who marveled at the world of science and nature and promoted conservation and preservation policies for the benefit of future generations.\ \ On line guest book at www.chancellorfuneralhome.com. \