Robert Bitts

Bob had three guideposts. Bob was driven by searching for Truth, and applying it to protect the environment, and to enhance the just well-being of the human family.

The Teachings of Baha'u'llah, which are the heart and soul of the Baha'i Faith, were his touchstone for Truth and guidance since 1965. (Baha'u'llah translates as the Glory, Light, or Splendor of God; the Faith dates from 1844.)

Bob's environmentalism began in the 1960s as he led bike rallies, on his tandem, to encourage nonpolluting transportation; he also handed out informational cards that encouraged drivers to idle their cars much less. In the 1990s, Bob founded Compucab to promote the electric car, ride sharing, and, in 2000, use of his van service to ferry suburbanites to the new Lightrail stations. He and his wife, Marti, were active in several environmental groups over the decades.

In 1956, an accidental exposure to sulfur dioxide gas burned his eyes and lungs, ending his nascent career as a mechanical engineer. Adopting the Teaching that "work performed in service to humankind is elevated to acts of worshipping the Creator," Bob re-educated himself in higher mathematics and education to become a math instructor. This required communicating with and loving the learners as they struggled to learn the subject. As a result, Bob adopted El Salvador as his second country after two years of teaching high school math for college-bound students, and built life-long friendships in Spanish and English.

The biggest physical and multicultural challenge Bob experienced was taking a tandem bike, plus a single, on a mission to carry a friendship scroll from San Jose U. in California (where the three guys were students) to San Jose U. in Costa Rica during the summer of 1965. Bob and Rafael were grad students (Rafael who was from El Salvador), and Dan was a freshman track star with a Spanish major. Bob's tandem's breakdown near Guadalajara, where no parts were available, finished his adventure when he returned to finish his MA in math. Rafael lost his passport and was deported back to Miami (the nearest major airport) after he and Dan delivered the scroll inscribed with unifying messages and signatures they had collected back on campus in May. Then, minus Rafael, Dan pushed on to the Panama Canal, stopping to work in order to sustain himself the rest of the way and buy transportation home! Life-long friends.

With several others, Bob was brought to the newly opening Arapahoe Junior College in Littleton as part of its initial faculty (now, a community college) in 1966. As the student body and offerings there increased, the faculty learned to support each other through the challenges such an undertaking must meet, successfully. One highlight was the establishment of a "math lab" where advanced students tutored struggling ones. They bonded over their common purpose.

Bob had always wanted to be involved in creating "affordable" student housing near ACC. He also hoped to bridge the gap between Littleton's English speakers and the large influx of foreign students whose governments had discovered the excellent education available at discount prices in a well-run two-year college. Bob had lived in a students' international residence in northern California, and tasked himself with fund-raising by attracting investors to the college-area with downtown Littleton's charm and relatively low real estate prices. While this vision wasn't realized, he was able to rehabilitate small old homes and manage them for students' benefit. He was an ardent supporter of the potential for ACC's mission to dovetail with the Littleton community's desire to create a thriving, walkable downtown area where everyone was attracted to chat, eat, shop, and gather. That ambience has emerged today.

Within the development of the nascent Baha'i Community in the extended Front Range area, Bob was involved in several active leadership roles. He served on the first Baha'i Spiritual Assembly of Littleton, the governing body of Littleton's group, founded in 1967. He also traveled many miles as an assistant to the Auxiliary Board for Protection. The latter had him meeting individuals and families who sought guidance with applying the spiritual teachings of the Baha'i Faith to their difficulties. The assistants studied and prayed and consulted to increase their understanding, then answered requests for home visits. Bob also served on the Conifer Hill Baha'i Summer Camp, and the Baha'i Property management committees for years.

In early 1971, Bob and Marti were married in Old Town Albuquerque, her hometown. December 1972 blessed them with an infant son, Ruben Joseph. This enabled Bob to pass down the many practical "fixing stuff" and "navigating life" skills he had added to those of his own father. From each parent, Ruben has inherited the penchant for teaching middle-schoolers language arts, literature, and mathematics, as well! Father and son were involved in Boy Scouts, as well as property management. Together they explored "reaching across the lines" to be friends and co-workers with any person willing to be included in the family of mankind. In 1976, Bob and Marti made a pilgrimage to the Baha'i shrines in Haifa, Israel, where the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing body of the Baha'is of the world, is located, as well.

In retirement, Bob became a sponsor for young students' education in El Salvador through the group, Plan International. Sponsors exchange correspondence with their student about four times a year, and once, we were able to visit Bob's "adoptee", Jose Santos, and the grandparents who were raising him. We brought him an inexpensive paperback book in Spanish. He felt so honored receiving the first book to call his own at age 14. As Jose graduated from the program, Bob sponsored his little sister, Yohanna.

Should anyone feel so moved, donations may be made to Plan International.