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7 <br /> 1 With Bob doing much of the behind the scenes work, a County bond was proposed and passed <br /> 2 to build a state of the art senior center. In 2005 the Orange County Board of County <br /> 3 Commissioners voted to name the new senior facility on Homestead Road the "Robert and <br /> 4 Pearl Seymour Center" in honor of the Seymours for their dedication and commitment to serving <br /> 5 the older adults in Orange County. In 2007 the Seymour Center opened and has served a <br /> 6 diverse population for the past 13 years. Until the COVID pandemic, Bob visited the Center at <br /> 7 least once a week for exercise class and a weekly massage. He was very proud that the Center <br /> 8 was a place that everyone, regardless of socio-economic status or race, was welcomed. <br /> 9 <br /> 10 Reverend Seymour will be remembered for loving people; for being compassionate and <br /> 11 generous; and for his boldness when needed. Bob was a prolific writer, which became even <br /> 12 more of a passion in his later years. He published several books including Aging Without <br /> 13 Apology. Living the Senior Years with Integrity and Faith and "Whites Only"A Pastor's <br /> 14 Retrospective on Signs of the New South. <br /> 15 <br /> 16 Reverend Robert "Bob" Seymour leaves behind a legacy of service; many friends; and is an <br /> 17 example of a life well-lived with meaning and purpose. He is survived by his children, Frances <br /> 18 and Rob, their spouses, and several grandchildren. <br /> 19 <br /> 20 Kristen Smith-Young, a close Seymour family friend, read the resolution: <br /> 21 <br /> 22 RES-2020-064 <br /> 23 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> 24 RESOLUTION HONORING AND REMEMBERING <br /> 25 REVEREND ROBERT E. SEYMOUR <br /> 26 WHEREAS, Reverend Robert "Bob" Seymour, a community leader, activist, pastor, advocate <br /> 27 for aging services, servant to those less fortunate and a resident leading the way for diversity, <br /> 28 equity and inclusion in our community, passed away on October 11, 2020 at the age of 95; and <br /> 29 <br /> 30 WHEREAS, Reverend Seymour was known for his life of service to the people of Orange <br /> 31 County; and <br /> 32 <br /> 33 WHEREAS, Reverend Seymour was born in Greenwood, South Carolina, completed his <br /> 34 undergraduate degree at Duke University, a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a <br /> 35 Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland; and <br /> 36 <br /> 37 WHEREAS, Reverend Seymour and his wife, Pearl, came to Chapel Hill in 1959 where he <br /> 38 served as the first pastor of the Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church, which under his <br /> 39 guidance became a church committed to social justice and inclusion, and with Bob as a <br /> 40 champion for social justice, Binkley Church was one of the first interracial congregations in NC <br /> 41 that challenged racial segregation; and <br /> 42 <br /> 43 WHEREAS, Reverend Seymour was compassionate and an advocate for those less fortunate in <br /> 44 our community, and from that passion helped organize the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service <br /> 45 in 1963 and served as its first president; and <br /> 46 <br /> 47 WHEREAS, Reverend Seymour was an advocate for affordable housing, serving an <br /> 48 instrumental role in helping start Orange County Habitat for Humanity, and in honor of his <br /> 49 service, the first building in the Crescent Magnolia senior community was named the Beloved <br /> 50 Community in honor of him and his life's work of pursuing justice and fairness in Orange <br /> 51 County; and <br />