Robert “Bob” Talbot died peacefully at home on Oct. 5 surrounded by his family. He was 88 years old. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1937 to Robert and Dorothy Talbot, he is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Barbara; by their four children, Greg, Mark, Megan and Sara; and by their 10 grandchildren.
A gifted athlete, he led St. Ann’s grade school to the CYO basketball championship in 1951 before going on to St. John’s College High School and Catholic University where he starred in both basketball and baseball. In 1959, he set the career basketball scoring record at Catholic with 1,187 points. He was later inducted into both schools’ Halls of Fame.
Talbot returned to The Catholic University of America to coach the freshmen basketball team in 1963 and two years later became the baseball head coach for the next 12 years, leading the Cardinals to unprecedented success and almost reaching the College World Series in 1977. The baseball field at Catholic University is named in his honor.
Bob moved full-time into CUA’s Admissions and Financial Aid office, working there from 1978 until 1992, ultimately serving as the dean there. It was here that he honed his remarkable ability as a counselor and confidant. In 1986, a freshman nursing student named Maureen Banda told him she was not trying out for the CUA swim team because she did not feel she could balance the practice and travel schedules with her busy academic obligations. “He was very encouraging, he kept telling me, you can do this. He was soft-spoken and reassuring but very firm. When I left his office, I was convinced I could do it, and I did. I owe him a lot,” she said. She went on to swim for Catholic University for three years.
In 1992 with the athletic department in disarray and support wavering, Catholic University asked Talbot to become the athletic director. He moved quickly to open communications with the coaches and created an atmosphere where CUA athletes could thrive and succeed. He served 10 years in that job including hiring Mike Lonergan as men’s basketball coach, who would go on to become Catholic’s all-time leader in games won with 251 and winning the Division 3 National championship in 2001. Today, Catholic University has 19 men’s and women’s teams competing successfully in the Landmark Conference. Talbot retired as AD in 2002 and spent the next two years as an athletic department fundraiser for the university.
Restless in retirement, he joined the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a charity giving counsel to wounded service members at Walter Reed and Fort Belvoir Hospital. Over the course of his 12 years with the fund, he counseled close to 800 wounded warriors, helping them pursue college degrees, get jobs and rebuild their lives.
The most important thing in Talbot’s busy life was always his family. He met his wife Barbara at Catholic University, and they were married for almost 60 years. His son, Greg Talbot, said he offered each of his children and grandchildren, “a calm, confident, and steady presence and endless support.”
Bob Talbot personified the Christian ideal of improving the lives of people he met and helped literally thousands of Catholic University students, athletes and wounded veterans who benefitted from his gentle encouragement and endless advocacy. Let us all celebrate a life well lived.
(Kevin Dowd is a freelance writer who contributes articles for the Catholic Standard.)
