FOUNDATION NEWS
Parks and Recreation Scholarship Helps Recipients "Be Like Bob"
BY MIA CROSS M'03
By all accounts, everyone who knew FSU student Bob Norr loved him. Norr was a junior at FSU when he died in a kayaking accident. Following the 2012 tragedy, The Robert A. Norr Presidential Merit Scholarship was established and has helped a total of 15 students majoring in Recreation and Parks Management emulate Norr as they pursue their degrees.
“Bob Norr was a beloved student in the Recreation and Parks Management program,” recalls Dr. Diane Blankenship, retired faculty member of the department. “This tragedy shook the faculty and students in the program to their core.”
According to Blankenship, Norr was an avid outdoorsman who loved kayaking and skiing and who hoped to one day work with disabled veterans as an outdoor sports recreation therapist. “He wanted to positively impact their lives and help them discover their abilities and passions.”
Devastated by Norr’s death, classmate Alex Coleman ’12 felt compelled to preserve his memory with the FSU scholarship. “She had also lost a friend in high school, and through her efforts, established a memorial scholarship to help students pursue higher education,” said Blankenship. Coleman wanted to do the same for Norr so that nobody would forget the impact he had on her and the lives of those who knew him.
Coleman approached Blankenship with her idea of a fundraising event to remember her friend, and the annual “Be Like Bob” day was born. Blankenship and her students spent countless hours organizing games and activities from swimming to laser tag to dodgeball to celebrate Norr’s life.
“It was such an honor to lead students on the annual journey of ‘Be Like Bob,’” remembered Blankenship. “My students and I didn’t want to burn candles and sing songs. We wanted to have fun just like Bob would have wanted.”
According to Blankenship, the first event was a huge success that raised more than $10,000 to endow the Robert Norr Presidential Merit Scholarship.
That first “Be Like Bob” day set the stage for 10 more years of successful events, each year raising enough money for the endowed scholarship fund along with money for an annual student scholarship award.
These scholarships grew from $500 to $5,000 as the years passed. The recipients were students majoring in recreation and parks management and who also demonstrated leadership and volunteerism through campus and community involvement. Following in Norr’s footsteps, award winners had high ethical and moral standards characterized by determination, dedication, perseverance and eagerness to work hard.
“The students who received this scholarship saw it as an honor and knew it was something very special,” recalled Blankenship. “This select group of students are currently working in key leadership positions in Maryland and across the country in the parks and recreation industry, carrying on what Bob intended to do by positively impacting the lives of others.”
The last official fundraising campaign was in May 2023, which coincided with Blankenship’s retirement. Norr’s endowed scholarship fund has grown to more than $100,000. This is the legacy Blankenship had hope for all those years ago.
“Now I know that there will always be an exceptional recreation and parks management student receiving a scholarship to help them with their tuition.”
And Norr’s memory will live on in the lives of those who strive to “Be Like Bob.”
To make a gift in support of any of FSU’s scholarships, call the FSU Foundation at 301-687-4068 or visit online at www.frostburg.edu/foundation.