’54-’56 Football

Robert decided that, then known as, Estherville Junior College was the place for him because he had always dreamed of becoming a teacher and a coach. He was convinced by George Hess that Estherville was the school for him and because of this, will always be indebted to Coach Hess. 

While attending EJC, Robert made quite a name for himself. He was a two year letterman in football and was captain of the 20th ranked 1955 football team. He was voted most valuable on the team, was the team’s leading ground gainer, and was named an All-American Honorable Mention.

Robert said this about his memories of Iowa Lakes, “Estherville Jr. College is extremely important to me as it set a sound foundation for my educational, professional, and community involvement over all these years. Life has been and is good.”

While there were numerous people who positively affected Robert while attending EJC, the most influential was George Hess. The biggest reason that George affected him was by encouraging Robert to attend college to play football. Another reason that George was an inspiration in Robert’s life was because of his method of working with and encouraging student athletes. George believed in treating people the same way he would like to be treated. This was a model that Robert tried to emulate during his years as a teacher, coach, and administrator. 

After attending Estherville Junior College, Robert received his Bachelor’s Degree from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He then went on to receive his Master’s Degree from the University of South Dakota and Administrative Certificate from Drake University. 

From 1960-1965 Robert worked in Centerville, South Dakota as a teacher, guidance counselor, football coach, track coach, and athletic director. In his first two years as the head football coach, Robert’s teams did not lose a single game. His track team was the Conference Champions four consecutive years, highlighted by a 1965 State Team Championship. 

Robert then took his talents to Spirit Lake, Iowa where he taught American History and General Science and was the football and track coach from 1965-1968. Unfortunately, during those years the Estherville Midgets were too much for his team to handle, as they did not win one game against them. Thankfully, his track career here was a different story. He coached the team to the 1968 State Track Championships. This was the first State Championship for any of the school’s extra-curricular activities.

From 1968-1987 Robert worked at Hoover High School in Des Moines, Iowa. He was both a teacher and a track coach from ’68-‘73. He then became Vice Principal of Hoover High School until 1987. Robert then took a step up and became the principal at Des Moines Meredith Middle School until his retirement in 1995.

Some other notable accomplishments in Robert’s life is his 23 years spent on the Board of the Iowa Special Olympics. Most of those years were spent as the State Games Director, but he also served as the Master of Ceremonies for the State Games. In 1989, Robert was presented with the Ed Lehner Volunteer Award in recognition for outstanding volunteer services to Iowa Special Olympics. He also helped organize and was the President of the Meredith Neighborhood Association for several years and over the years has volunteered on numerous committees at his church. Robert also spent five years working part time as the training coordinator for the Willis Auto Campus, where he taught the culture of the organization and helped to ensure that all employees completed their computer training. 

Robert currently serves on the Executive Board of the Partnership for a Drug Free Iowa and is the president of the Our Neighborhood Association. Robert enjoys wood carving, working out, and is really hoping it is not too late for him to improve his golf score. 

He would really like to thank his wife, Dolores, for all of her support throughout the years. 

Congratulations to Robert (Bob) Wells on being named to the Laker Hall of Fame.