Robert “Bob” Tignor, the Rosengarten Professor of Modern and Contemporary History, Emeritus, died on December 9, 2022, of complications related to pneumonia at his home in Princeton. He was 89.
Robert “Bob” Tignor, the Rosengarten Professor of Modern and Contemporary History, Emeritus, died on December 9, 2022, of complications related to pneumonia at his home in Princeton. He was 89.
Bob was my oldest brother of 5 siblings, he was always an achiever in his younger years while living in Yeadon, PA. He was never without some type of employment, working hard no matter what the job was, he worked at the Sealtest Ice Cream factory in Philadelphia and would come home, recoup and back again the next day. He excelled in everything he attempted to do and that carried over to being a great father, friend and brother. He would beat me in tennis and I knew that I had to play my best even to get a point. As I have said many times previously, he was my idol and I will miss him terribly. Sister # 2
As I plod away at my own pursuit of a PhD from an African university, I realize I would not have embarked on this path if not for the inspiration of Dr. Tignor who welcomed me in to his History of Pre-Colonial Africa course as a freshman. He and the now deceased Rob Schell were critical to opening up a lot of young minds to pursue their Program in African Studies. After devoting part of my military career and nearly all of my academic career focused on the continent, I have Dr Tignor to thank for leading the path.