Longtime Rotarian Bob Syvertsen passed away June 30, 2022, at age 92.
Besides serving the Malibu Rotary Club as Past President and several terms as treasurer and budget director, Bob served as past Rotary District 5280 Treasurer. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow.
Bob was born in Omaha, Nebraska, August 25, 1929, where he stayed through college, receiving his degrees in accounting from the University of Nebraska. He is pictured here speaking at a Malibu Rotary Club meeting with an image of him standing in front of his first car, a 1933 Chevrolet Roadster. He received his CPA and ultimately ended up in Santa Monica, California, where he became the Comptroller for Deane Funk, publisher of the Santa Monica Evening Outlook, which was the primary daily newspaper for Santa Monica until it ceased operations in 1998. Bob also worked in a similar capacity for Copley Press, which published newspapers across the country.
Deane Funk was a member of the Santa Monica Rotary Club. When the Santa Monica Rotary Club spun off the Malibu Rotary Club in 1971, Funk recommended Bob join the new Malibu Rotary club, which he did, in 1973. Wherever Bob has been he used his accounting acumen to develop corporate budgets. He was an early adapter to computer technology and developed spreadsheet programs that kept track of both the charitable and the operations budgets. He also made recommendations for setting up a Malibu Rotary Club Charitable trust and made sure all tax documents and reports for Rotary International and the Rotary District were filed correctly on time. Every Malibu Rotary Club president since 1973 was able to depend on Bob to come up with a perfectly balanced budget.
When Bob transferred from the Santa Monica Rotary Club to the Malibu Rotary Club, he took with him a friend he had recommended as member to the Santa Monica Rotary Club. The friend was Loyd Allen, a successful businessman and civil rights leader who celebrated his 100th birthday in 2021. Loyd became the first Black member of the Rotary Club of Santa Monica and was elected President of the Rotary Club of Malibu in 1984-85 before going on to run the Watts Willowbrook Rotary Club.
Since Bob joined the Malibu Rotary Club he has attended nearly every meeting and event, including the Rotary demotion party dinner at Spruzzo's Restaurant a few days before he died. He had missed only two meetings in the last two years. One might have expected Bob to be a boring stereotypical accountant, but Bob had a great sense of humor. He created memorable costumes for the Malibu Rotary Club Halloween parties. At the last one, he came wearing a raincoat that had a sign on the back that read, "This space for rent." The club could have raised extra money selling ad space on his coat. At each Malibu Rotary Club meeting, people were urged to donate Happy Dollars that go toward Malibu Rotary donation to the Rotary Foundation. On his birthday, Bob would always donate an amount equal to his age, which was always the biggest donation of the day.
Service Above Self
Malibu, CA 90265
United States of America