Service celebrates a lifetime spent helping others succeed

TAMPA -- Robert Saunders Sr. was remembered Monday for his determination and integrity as several hundred people gathered for his funeral.

Energized in the tradition of the Baptist faith, the service at St. Paul AME Church in downtown Tampa was more of a celebration than a mournful reflection.

Mr. Saunders, who dedicated his life to civil rights, died March 18 from injuries suffered in a car crash last month. He was 81.

Thomas Scott, the Hillsborough County Commission chairman, said Mr. Saunders never wavered, even during the most difficult times.

"That says a lot about his courage," Scott said. "He made a difference in the community and encouraged others to continue the fight."

The Rev. Gene Brown, pastor of St. Paul AME Church, spoke of scripture, Nike and Tiger Woods, bringing it together by saying many people in this world are named Bob, but there was only one Bob Saunders Sr.

Mr. Saunders was field secretary for the Florida NAACP from 1952 until 1966. In 1966, he became the director of equal opportunity for the southeast region of the federal Office of Economic Opportunity in Atlanta.

In 1976, he returned to Tampa to create the Hillsborough County Office of Equal Opportunity. He worked there until his retirement in 1988.

He was known for his tenacity and endurance as much as he was known for his fight for equality.

Henry Carley, an NAACP activist and civil rights leader, knew Mr. Saunders as a great teacher.

He said Mr. Saunders loved to nurture and mentor young people. "We will miss his leadership," Carley said.

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