Browse the obituary of Dr Robert ‘Bob’ Lynn Penny June 29 1935 December 25 2022 residing in Huntsville, Alabama for funeral burial details. Write a message of sympathy or a last tribute to perpetue the friendship thread
June 29 1935 December 25 2022
Obituary Bob Penny, teacher, poet, actor, died in Huntsville, AL, December 25th. Born in Anniston, AL, he spent his early childhood in Jacksonville, AL, where his father was a Presbyterian minister. He grew up in North Carolina and eventually came back to Alabama where he taught Poetry and Prose for 21 years at UAB. Bob did his undergraduate work at Wofford College in South Carolina and Columbia University in New York City; he received an M.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and his Ph.D. from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. In 1974, he received the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence on Classroom Teaching, an honor he was nominated for six times. His poetry “Prologues to Home” received the Silver Bowl Award for 1980 from the Birmingham Festival of the Arts in recognition of his contribution to literature. In 1996, the Alabama School of Fine Arts recognized him for his contributions to Alabama Theater with the Applause Award. In 1990, he was offered a full professorship in Theater and English but declined the offer from UAB and retired from academic life after 32 years of teaching. He has done over 40 character and leading roles in dramatic productions throughout the Southeast. Since retiring from academic life, he has broadened his acting audience, appearing in more than 30 commercial films and national TV dramas. Among them: “Sweet Home Alabama”, “The Legend of Bagger Vance”, “My Cousin Vinny”, “Forrest Gump, “In the Heat of the Night, “Fly Away Home”, etc. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, William Burbank Penny and Agnes Marion Jones Penny. Survivors include his brother, William Earl Penny (Betty); sister, Jean Marion Yount; six nieces; and one nephew. A special thanks is given to longtime friend/caregiver, Lakin Boyd, and the staff of Thrive Assisted Living, Huntsville, AL. A Celebration of Life will be held in Birmingham at a later date.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Dr Robert ‘Bob’ Lynn Penny June 29 1935 December 25 2022.
Death notice for the town of: Huntsville, state: Alabama