Sallyrob

Early years

My name is Robert E. Nylund. I was born in San Francisco, California, on June 20, 1947. After living in a flat in San Francisco's Sunset District for a few years, my parents and I moved to a two-story house in Daly City in early 1950 and acquired our first television set (a 17-inch Zenith black and white model, since color sets were still being developed). I attended kindergarten and first grade at the Woodrow Wilson Elementary School.

My parents decided that Daly City was too foggy and cool much of the year, so they looked for homes farther south of San Francisco. They decided to buy a new three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in San Bruno, where my mother had lived in her early years. We occupied the house on May 18, 1954. I began the second grade, in September 1954, at the New Edgemont School. I continued my elementary education and then entered the Parkside Intermediate School, only a block from our house, for the seventh and eighth grades.

I began publishing a small neighborhood newspaper in August 1959 and continued this publication until March 1962. I was asked to edit a couple of publications at Parkside. Then, in September 1961, I went to Capuchino High School in San Bruno. By my sophomore year I was active in the Concert Choir and the Rally Commission.

My parents decided to move again in 1963, this time to a two-story duplex in the Crestmoor district of San Bruno. We lived in the upper unit and rented the lower unit. We occupied this home in July 1963. I also began rehearsing for the first production of the San Mateo Community Theatre, Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience, directed by Dr. Randolph Hunt. I also participated in their summer productions in 1964, 1965, and 1966.

Since we had moved into a different high school attendance area, I had to transfer to Crestmoor High School for the 1963-64 academic year. I joined the choir, the student newspaper, and the Fine Arts Club. Thanks to the Fine Arts Club, I was able to finally attend performances by the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Over the years, I would attend many concerts and performances, sometimes meeting conductors, singers, and musicians backstge. During my senior year, I began writing a column for the San Bruno Herald and was eventually asked to cover a variety of public meetings and sports for them. I also became sports editor of the yearbook at Crestmoor.

College

After high school, I attended the College of San Mateo and again served on the student newspaper, writing mostly sports stories. I eventually joined the A Capella Choir, directed by Galen Marshall. Besides my continuing work for the San Bruno Herald, I covered some high school basketball games for the San Mateo Times.

I transferred to San Jose State University for the 1967-68 academic year, majoring in radio television journalism. I worked for the Radio Television News Center and eventually contributed to a variety of radio and television news programs. I also sang in the men's glee club.

Illinois and Back

After graduating from college in June 1969, I worked for a small airline at San Francisco International Airport and then moved to Springfield, Illinois and did graduate studies at Concordia Theological Seminary. During a winter vacation in the Bay Area, I was fortunate to meet tenor Richard Crooks at his home in Portola Valley.

I returned to the Bay Area in May 1970 and worked for an industrial rubber company for about a year and a half. I joined the Masterworks Chorale in the fall of 1970 and continued singing with this community group until February 1985.

I began working for Blue Shield of California in San Francisco in September 1972 and worked there as a word processor until December 1980. After leaving Blue Shield, I worked for Bank of America for about a year and a half, then did mostly temporary word processing work until I left the Bay Area in May 1989.

During my years in California, I was able to meet a number of conductors, singers, and musicians, due to my friendship with former impresario Bill Knorp. I also attended a number of concerts and performances in which I sometimes went backstage and met the performers.

In 1982, I appeared in a Capuchino Community Theatre production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, playing Constable Locke. This led to more work for the San Bruno non-profit organization, including Kismet, Roberta Ewald's The Wanderers, and George and Ira Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing. I also participated in two special gala dinner shows and served on the board of directors.

First Marriage

I finally married, for the first time, in July 1985. My wife had been married before and had grown children; she was also older than me. We decided to buy a house in Montara, California in the fall of 1985 and we lived there until we left the Bay Area.

We decided that I should return to Concordia Theological Seminary, which had moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1976. I edited two seminary publications and produced a radio program for WOWO. I completed all of my classes and then had an internship in Manitowoc, Wisconsin which proved unsuccessful. When I failed to become a pastor, we returned to Fort Wayne. I returned to a variety of office jobs, then began doing some part-time work for the Allen County Times in New Haven. I also wrote for the Roanoke News and sold advertising.

I returned to broadcasting in July 1992 by becoming a program host at WBNI-FM, a National Public Radio station in Fort Wayne. I continue to do radio work there to this day.

In December 1994, my wife and I were separated and eventually were divorced. For the first time, I rented an apartment and lived by myself in Fort Wayne. The newspaper work continued and I was hired to be an editor of a relatively new newspaper in Huntertown, Indiana, but this situation ultimately proved unsatisfactory and I gave up newspaper work.

After numerous temporary jobs, I was finally hired to work in the mail room at Aetna in Fort Wayne. I remained with that company for about four years. I returned to the Allen County Times in November 2000 and again served as an editor, writer, and photographer until June 2002.

Second Marriage

I decided to marry again, in 1999, and this time I married woman closer to my age, who had never been married before. This marriage has proved more successful and happier.

In 2004, I began working in the accounting department of an industrial parts distributor as an imaging processor. This job proved quite rewarding and interesting. I remained with Kaman Industrial Technologies until the end of 2016, when I retired. Although the newspaper business has changed and opportunities have been more limited, I have continued to write whenever possible, most recently reviewing recordings and videos for another website. I have also continued to sing in musical groups.

My involvement in writing, broadcasting, and music has made it possible to meet many interesting people over the years. I have also been an avid reader.