Robert Montgomery Bourdeaux

Robert "Bob" Montgomery Bourdeaux, IV died at his home August 16th, 2017 surrounded by his family. Son of Robert Montgomery Bourdeaux and Mary Carolyn Shoemaker Bourdeaux, Bob was born in Meridian Mississippi on November 10, 1939.  His family moved to Davidson North Carolina shortly thereafter where he spent his childhood.  He graduated from Marion Military Academy in Alabama.

He attended first Washington and Lee University, and then transferred to University of North Carolina, where he received his B.A in Education. Troubled by discrimination and racism that plagued Southern society, Bob dedicated his life to supporting women and minority achievement. For Bob, this work took the form of promoting education equity. His first job after graduating from UNC in 1963 was teaching low-income students in 8th grade at McClintock Junior High School and directing Upward Bound, a federal program that aided first generation high school graduates gain admission to college. 

He completed his masters and PhD in Education at UNC by 1976, writing his dissertation entitled Factors Affecting the College Plans of High School Seniors in Virginia examining at what factors enabled low-income students to attend college. He married the love of his life, Jerry Jordan Ellis Bourdeaux October 18th, 1969.  He and Jerry moved to Roanoke VA where he took up a professorship of Education at Hollins University. Bob was inspired by the writings of American philosopher John Dewey and deeply believed a core aim of American education was prepare students to be contributing citizens in a democracy. For the subsequent 19 years, he found success inspiring, instructing and carefully coaching future public school teachers. 

From 1988-1992, he founded HI Hats and a silk screen printing business, Bourdeaux Graphics. When this business failed in the recession of the early 1990s, Bob returned to education to work at the Virginia Department of Education. There he assisted school divisions across the state in planning, implementing and evaluating programs for educationally at-risk students based on assessments of local needs.  One of his proudest achievements was helping to narrow the achievement gap in some of the poorest districts in the state. 

In later years he became an assistant superintendent of the Lancaster, PA school system, working to improve student achievement and reform the central administration. He retired with his wife to Fearrington North Carolina.

Bob believed true happiness derived from fulfilling one's duty to one's family, community and country. He is survived by his two daughters, Carolyn Jordan Bourdeaux, Ph.D. and Margaret Ellis Bourdeaux, M.D., his brother John Wilson Bourdeaux and sister Margaret Bourdeaux Arbuckle-- each of whom are incredibly proud to call him father and brother respectively. He is also survived by his daughters' husbands, Jeff Skodnik and David Charbonneau and his beloved grandchildren, Nathan Skodnik, and Stella, Aurora, Selena and Terra Charbonneau.

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