Today, Houston stalwart, oil man, and all-around good guy, Bob Mosbacher, died at MD Anderson after a years-long battle with pancreatic cancer. He had sworn to fight the disease to the last and he certainly did that with grace, dignity, and the style for which he had always been 
known. I knew Bob socially and through our businesses, and I respected him greatly. He was a real renaissance man, loving sailing, politics, and, of course, his family. We were on opposite ends of the political spectrum, but I considered him a member of the great GOP of the 1960s - 1980s...contemporary of George HW Bush, James Baker, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He was not an ideologue, but a pragmatic businessman and statesman. You'll recall that he was Secretary of Commerce under HW and was finance chair for both him and Gerald Ford.
Bob and I worked together in recent years, talking about an investment that we held jointly; I found him to be always down to earth, personable, and focused on his family and employees. He never let politics intrude into social settings and I always found him gracious. He and his wife, Mica, were supportive of the arts and charitable organizations in Houston and attended events regulary. The photo above is of Mica and Bob when they attended the Houston Grand Opera Ball that Gracie and I chaired in 2007.
I'll tell one little anecdote about my last contact with Bob which was completely unplanned. I hope Mica doesn't mind. During this last holiday season, we attended a friend's Christmas party which happened
to be in the Mosbachers' neighborhood. As we were leaving the party, I saw a King Charles spaniel crossing the street all by himself, clearly not where he was supposed to be. I pulled the car over, got out, and called to the dog. We have a King Charles ourselves and are very familiar with their Labrador-in-a-little-body friendliness. He came right over, and I took him by the collar. He was tired and muddy, but clearly someone's well-loved pet. I rubbed the mud off of his tag, and low and behold it said "Mosbacher" with the phone number. I called Gracie from the car, told her it was MIca and Bob's; she swept the muddy little guy up in her arms and off we headed to the Mobacher's. Sure enough, he was one of their brood of King Charles spaniels and apparently their own personal little escape artist. Bob was still at home at that time and Mica was with him, so we just left the little guy with one of their staff and made our departure. (He's the one on the far right in the above picture taken during a photo shoot of Houstonians and their dogs a couple of years ago.} The next day, we got a beautiful arrangement of flowers from Bob and Mica along with a thank you note. I felt that, in a tiny way, we had been able to help them during this challenging time, and just by serendipity. That was my last contact with Bob, albeit through his surrogate, a muddy and errant King Charles spaniel. I'll never forget it nonetheless.
Bob bravely battled pancreatic cancer to the end. He was 82 years old. He fought his disease as he lived his life...with courage and determination. I am proud to have known him.
known. I knew Bob socially and through our businesses, and I respected him greatly. He was a real renaissance man, loving sailing, politics, and, of course, his family. We were on opposite ends of the political spectrum, but I considered him a member of the great GOP of the 1960s - 1980s...contemporary of George HW Bush, James Baker, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He was not an ideologue, but a pragmatic businessman and statesman. You'll recall that he was Secretary of Commerce under HW and was finance chair for both him and Gerald Ford.Bob and I worked together in recent years, talking about an investment that we held jointly; I found him to be always down to earth, personable, and focused on his family and employees. He never let politics intrude into social settings and I always found him gracious. He and his wife, Mica, were supportive of the arts and charitable organizations in Houston and attended events regulary. The photo above is of Mica and Bob when they attended the Houston Grand Opera Ball that Gracie and I chaired in 2007.
I'll tell one little anecdote about my last contact with Bob which was completely unplanned. I hope Mica doesn't mind. During this last holiday season, we attended a friend's Christmas party which happened
to be in the Mosbachers' neighborhood. As we were leaving the party, I saw a King Charles spaniel crossing the street all by himself, clearly not where he was supposed to be. I pulled the car over, got out, and called to the dog. We have a King Charles ourselves and are very familiar with their Labrador-in-a-little-body friendliness. He came right over, and I took him by the collar. He was tired and muddy, but clearly someone's well-loved pet. I rubbed the mud off of his tag, and low and behold it said "Mosbacher" with the phone number. I called Gracie from the car, told her it was MIca and Bob's; she swept the muddy little guy up in her arms and off we headed to the Mobacher's. Sure enough, he was one of their brood of King Charles spaniels and apparently their own personal little escape artist. Bob was still at home at that time and Mica was with him, so we just left the little guy with one of their staff and made our departure. (He's the one on the far right in the above picture taken during a photo shoot of Houstonians and their dogs a couple of years ago.} The next day, we got a beautiful arrangement of flowers from Bob and Mica along with a thank you note. I felt that, in a tiny way, we had been able to help them during this challenging time, and just by serendipity. That was my last contact with Bob, albeit through his surrogate, a muddy and errant King Charles spaniel. I'll never forget it nonetheless. Bob bravely battled pancreatic cancer to the end. He was 82 years old. He fought his disease as he lived his life...with courage and determination. I am proud to have known him.
The man was obviously a class act, one of the good guys that cared for his fellow man and for this city and we'll all be poorer for his passing.
He was a gentle man and a gentleman to the end.