Robert Owen Edbrooke Jr. died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., on August 30, 2016. He was 71 years old. Born in Elmhurst, Illinois, in 1945 to the late Mr. Robert and Mrs. Lela (Vermillion) Edbrooke. Bob received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Illinois in 1967, where he graduated with University Honors, and went on to earn his master’s degree and Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on Prosopographical Studies in the Roman Empire in the Fourth Century A.D. Dr. Edbrooke dedicated his life to teaching and was widely acknowledged as an exemplary educator. He began his career as an assistant professor of History & Classics at institutions that included the University of Chicago, Brown University, Iowa State University, Smith College, and Tufts University. From there, Bob transitioned to high school teaching. His first post was at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where he taught English and Physical Education in the late 1980s. He found his truest calling at his next post: Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, where he taught Latin and history from 1990 to 2015. He also coached JV girls basketball and JV girls tennis. Bob’s intellectual acumen was admired by colleagues and students alike. English teacher Althea Cranston, who collaborated with him on the Ancient Mediterranean Studies interdisciplinary program for ninth graders, recalls, “Time and again, I was stunned by the way in which Bob could tap his vast storehouse of knowledge about the antique world and make it accessible to students in a way that didn’t intimidate them. I remember overseas trips with student groups where he would stand in front of a particular building in Athens and reel off story after story about the site that would have the kids entranced.” Above all, the greatest legacy Dr. Edbrooke left to BB&N was his quiet yet fierce dedication to the school and its students and alumni/ae. He was a constant presence on the BB&N Upper School campus, whether advising students, preparing lesson plans, reading classical studies journals, joining pickup basketball games, attending sporting events, plays, and concerts, and always serving as the number one cheerleader of the efforts of BB&N students. “It is hard to envision this community without Bob’s presence being part of it,” says BB&N Head of School Rebecca T. Upham. “He gave so much of himself to this school and to the students he taught, advised, and coached. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered.” Bob is survived by his sister, Roberta (Terry) O’Brien of Algonquin, Illinois; nieces Christy Denney and Donna (Jim) Harvey and their children Katie & Scotty Denney and Jimmy & Taylor Harvey; his Uncle and Aunt Raymond and Patricia Edbrooke; and many cousins. Services are currently pending through Burns Funeral Home in Cambridge. Donations can be made to his school, Buckingham Browne and Nichols, 80 Gerry’s Landing Road, Cambridge, MA 02138.