Bob Spaulding

River Planner

Member of FMR staff since: October 2007

Duties: Does outreach to stakeholders along the river corridor and advocates for the protections and enhancements needed to make the Mississippi River an enduring asset for the Twin Cities region.

Education: B.A. Sociology, focus in Urban Studies, Cornell College. Coursework toward an M.A. in Urban Planning at the University of Minnesota.

Other affiliations: Commissioner on the Saint Paul Planning Commission; Capitol River Council.

Hobbies: Biking, hiking, and other assorted forms of outdoor recreating. Championing downtown Saint Paul and its future Fitzgerald Park.

Favorite literature: Death and Life of the Great American City by Jane Jacobs. Oh, thats not really literature, is it?

Favorite music: Anything, really. I currently find Andrew Bird quite impressive.

Favorite location on the river: Lilydale Park, where Id swear I was in the middle of nowhere rather than a few blocks from downtown Saint Paul. And reading a book on the sandy shores of Crosby Farm Park, also in the Saintly City.

Favorite way to spend a day: A long bike trip on any number of incredible regional trails through our great Twin Cities.

Last big vacation: A train trip to the West Coast on the Empire Builder. Which we hope to repeat soon, and stop this time in Glacier National Park, contemplating the tenuous but interconnected fates of our glaciers and interurban rail systems.

Something most people dont know about him: Bob and his family won five consecutive Halloween-themed episodes of the Family Feud (the maximum allowed), in the process beating families posing as pirates, condiments, and geriatric harem girls.

Heroes: Anyone who volunteers time to help establish a vision for the community, and has the time, energy and perseverance to make that vision real.