I wrote this piece about the passing of my old friend and mentor Rob Oglesby for The Gainesville Sun. I wish it hadn’t been necessary. I am one of a couple of generations of Sun writers who benefited from Rob’s wisdom and insight. Simply put, i am a better writer because of Rob Oglesby.
News desk staffer Carolyn Palmer walked into the old downtown Sun building to put out the very last edition before the newspaper’s relocation to its brand new digs on NW 13th St.
She and her fellow staffers found a memo waiting for them. And a bottle of champagne.
“Fourteen years ago, a 25-year-old kid sat in here and put out the first Sunday morning edition in the new News Center,” the memo read. “Tonight you’ve put out the last. To each and every one of you, thank you. From one who’s been there.”
The memo, dated April 14, 1984, was signed “Rob O.”
That was Rob Oglesby, longtime Sun managing editor, mentor to a couple generations of young journalists and a key figure in The Sun’s transformation from hot type presses and on into the digital era.
“For me and probably some other employees, the move from downtown was a little disturbing,” recalled Palmer, who still has that memo. “But seeing this note from Rob made the move more accepting, and also so real!”
Rob Oglesby passed away on Feb. 1, at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital. He was 81.
A native of Kansas, a 31-year employee of The Sun, and long time Gainesville Rotarian, his death follows by five months the passing of his wife of nearly 60 years, Carole Anne Oglesby. The two had no children.
They met as young reporters at the Palm Beach Post and moved to Gainesville in 1969. A graduate of Stetson, Oglesby enrolled at the University of Florida and earned a B.S. in journalism in 1970.
“Rob was a role model for kindness and integrity,” said Diane McFarlin, Sun executive editor from 1987-90 and, later, Dean of UF’s College of Journalism and Communication. “He cared deeply about his Sun family and the Gainesville community, and he and Carole Anne were generous supporters of their beloved”college. “It was a privilege to work alongside him”
As managing editor, Oglesby helped steer The Sun through a period of rapid and sometimes jarring changes. Among other challenges he oversaw the Sun’s transformation from a daily afternoon paper to a morning publication.
“He was key in two major changes,” recalled then-news desk editor Drucie Turner, “switching from hot type to cold type and formatting the paper to six from eight columns. That’s a lot of work in the publishing weeds. Despite usual staff grumblings about such big shifts, Rob led with quiet confidence.”
Oglesby was also a leader of the Sun newsroom’s conversation from old IBM Selectric typewriters to computer terminals.
“My interaction with Rob was the interface with news staff and all the ‘junk’ between them and getting words into type,” said then-production manager Ken Duffield. “Those pioneer days were the hardest of our careers as far as stress and long hours and recovering from problems, always knowing the presses had to roll.”
Out of the office, Oglesby was a dedicated Rotarian, first as a member of the organization’s Sunrise chapter and, later, the Downtown group, where he served a term as president.
Gainesville City Commissioner, and fellow Rotarian Ed Book credited Oglesby for, among other things, taking the lead on Downtown Rotary’s Water Stewardship initiative – now known as the Wes Skiles Awards, after the late High Springs diver and springs advocate.
“He thought that environmental and water stewardship was essential,” Book said. “He was also heavily involved in our literacy projects.”
He added, “the guy was very positive and he saw the bright side of every situation. Rob was a good human being and a great Rotarian.”
His death, when reported on the Gainesville Sun Co-workers Facebook page, sparked an outpouring of tributes, reminiscences and regrets from former Sun staffers and friends who had known, worked with and learned from Oglesby over the course of decades.
“Rob was a good man and a great boss,” wrote former staffer Darrell Hartman. “He really cared about all of us. He taught me a lot about being a reporter and an editor.”
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