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6 <br /> The Board considered voting to adopt a resolution honoring and remembering the life <br /> and service of Reverend Robert E. Seymour to the people of Orange County. <br /> Chair Rich reviewed the item below, and introduced Janice Tyler, Director of the <br /> Department on Aging. <br /> Janice Tyler said she had the pleasure of working with Bob Seymour for more than 30 <br /> years. She said the mark that he and his wife Pearl left on the community will be forever <br /> remembered. She said he was more than just a colleague, but a friend. She said he always <br /> checked in to see if she needed anything, and was willing to advocate for whatever was needed <br /> to help the older adults in our community. <br /> Janice Tyler said he was so proud of the Seymour Center. She said he was most proud <br /> that the Seymour Center was a place that everyone was welcome. She said prior to COVID, <br /> Bob would stop by the Seymour Center for exercise and his weekly massage. She said she will <br /> so miss his conversations, and the job moving forward is to continue his legacy: to always be <br /> willing to help others, to be bold, generous, and to always have compassion for others. She <br /> said he will be greatly missed, and the Seymours have left a legacy to be remembered. <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> Reverend Robert "Bob" Seymour passed away on Sunday, October 11, 2020. <br /> From his dedication to improving the lives of older adults and those less fortunate in the <br /> community, to his leadership in advancing social justice and inclusion, to being a champion for <br /> racial equity, Reverend Robert "Bob" Seymour was a strong advocate for Orange County and <br /> North Carolina. <br /> Robert Seymour was born in Greenwood, South Carolina. He completed his undergraduate <br /> degree at Duke University, a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a Ph.D. from the <br /> University of Edinburgh in Scotland. In 1956, while serving as a minister in Mars Hill, NC, Bob <br /> met his wife, Pearl. In 1959 the Seymours moved to Chapel Hill for Bob to serve as the first <br /> pastor of the Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church, which under his guidance became a <br /> church committed to social justice and inclusion. With Bob as a champion for social justice, <br /> Binkley was one of the first interracial congregations in North Carolina that challenged racial <br /> segregation. Bob, along with many parishioners including UNC Basketball Coach Dean Smith <br /> and former Chapel Hill Mayor Howard Lee, was a driving force behind the civil rights movement <br /> in Orange County. <br /> Reverend Seymour was compassionate and an advocate for those less fortunate in the <br /> community. From that passion, Bob helped organize the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service in <br /> 1963 and served as its first president. He was also an advocate for affordable housing. In 1984 <br /> he was instrumental in helping start Orange County Habitat for Humanity. In honor of his <br /> service, the first building in the Crescent Magnolia senior community was named the Beloved <br /> Community in honor of him and his life's work of pursuing justice and fairness in Orange <br /> County. <br /> After serving as pastor of Binkley Church for 30 years, and as Bob was entering his retirement <br /> years, a new interest in aging services arose. In 1990 Reverend Seymour was appointed to the <br /> Orange County Advisory Board on Aging, and Bob quickly became an advocate for aging <br /> services. Reverend Seymour served on the Orange County Task Force for Senior Needs in <br /> Southern Orange County, and became the guiding force in the inception, planning and design of <br /> a new senior center. He was instrumental in securing a temporary location for a new Chapel Hill <br /> Senior Center on Elliott Road in Chapel Hill. <br />