As soon as Bob Schleck arrived on Kauai in 1969, he embraced the island, its history and culture, and he made preservation of these elements his lifelong passion and profession. Over his lifetime, Bob has been instrumental in preserving buildings, landscapes and significant tangible aspects of the multifaceted, multigenerational culture of Kauai.
As soon as Bob Schleck arrived on Kauai in 1969, he embraced the island, its history and culture, and he made preservation of these elements his lifelong passion and profession. Over his lifetime, Bob has been instrumental in preserving buildings, landscapes and significant tangible aspects of the multifaceted, multigenerational culture of Kauai.
In addition to his professional career at Grove Farm, Bob was a dedicated, hard-working volunteer with the Kauai Historical Society from 1973.
For 45 years, he was a member and served on the Board of Directors, several times as president, treasurer and chairman of the Publications Committee.
His leadership and passionate involvement in projects over the years included being the project supervisor for the restoration of the Historic County Building in Lihue, the Hanalei Pier restoration, and the preservation of Hikina a Ka La heiau at Lydgate Park. He stewarded many publications including the Kauai Album, which documented in 1981 over 100 historic sites and buildings; many buildings are now gone.
At the time of his death, Bob was President of the board and was striving to complete the editing and production of a book of Hanalei artist Tambi Larsen’s drawings of Kauai locales. He also initiated a grant proposal to digitize a collection of maps from Kekaha Sugar Plantation. Kauai Historical Society intends to complete both projects to supplement his legacy at the society.
Robert Schleck leaves a legacy of the history of Kauai that he worked tirelessly to preserve and share. He was a fountain of knowledge and of stories about people and places on the island that he treasured, always told with laughter and a twinkle in his eyes. We will retell them often.
Aloha and mahalo, Bob, from Kauai Historical Society.
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Randy Wichman, interim president, Board of Directors, Kauai Historical Society
