Michael Eldredge
I first met Robert Likas around 1988 during a Schiele Museum South East Native American Studies Program workshop lead by Steve Watts (the SENASP later evolved to the Aboriginal Studies Program, ASP). He and Benjamin ‘Raven’ Pressley were walking up the Nature Trail from the 18th Century Backcountry Farm, where a public program had been presented that afternoon. Both were dressed in 18th c. garb, having been among the volunteers presenting the program. Raven, having been a part of SENASP almost from its inception in 1985, wanted to introduce Robert, who had an interest in the topics being studied at the monthly workshops.
As they drew near, Steve and I looked twice at Robert, all decked out complete with tomahawk on his belt (from which he had earned the name “Hawk Eye”). In his rather large stature, he cut both a dashing and somewhat frightening figure. During the afternoon he also engaged his alter-ego of a rough, somewhat dangerous character. Robert expressed a desire to join the next workshop, and of course with Raven’s recommendation, Steve made the invitation to join his mailing list for workshop announcements. Later, Steve and I discussed Robert and our hesitation about Robert’s somewhat threatening demeanor. Again, because of Raven’s recommendation, we invited Robert to the next workshop, although Steve remarked “I wonder what we’re letting ourselves in to”.
Well, of course we soon learned about the Robert beneath our first impression, and realized “what we had let ourselves in to” was the company of a remarkable young man of many talents, warm and wonderful humor (usually self-deprecating), an easy and hearty laugh, selfless attitude, always interested in the wellbeing of anyone he met, always willing to be of help to anyone who needed it, high intelligence, and generally of great character. We also learned of a Robert of many characters!
Although Robert had not had any contact with Scouting, Steve and I had grown up in the organization and were guided by its principles. We decided that Robert lived up to each of the Twelve Points of the Scout Law … he was indeed Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.
From my experience, anyone who met Robert walked away with a new friendship. I enjoyed my friendship with Robert from the beginning, but even more after I learned he did not really have anything against cats and was even owned by one at that time.
After Steve Watts passed away and the Aboriginal Studies Workshops (and Kamp Kephart) came to an end I missed the monthly contact with so many friends made through the years. And I missed seeing Robert, hearing his laughter, talking about the practice of meditation and Chigong, and comparing notes on our skillsets. I lost contact with Robert for a few years, but was happily surprised when I received a call from him two or three years ago (2022-23). While we only saw each other once or twice since our remaining time, we kept in touch by telephone off and on. The last conversation I had with him was three days before I heard the news of his passing.
I do, and I will, miss this “hail fellow well met”, but I shall have many golden memories from workshops past, hearing ( and often causing) his booming laugh, seeing him swing a sling armed with a spark plug rather than a smooth flat round river rock, watching him lift heavy objects as if picking up a toothpick, sharing his excellent interpretations of 18th Century life, Piracy, and the Old Scots manner, staring together into the coals of a dying fire, watching him joyfully eating copious amounts of food - always from his large wooden bowl and horn spoon, meeting him as the “Trash Man” at the museum’s first Earth Day weekend in 1990, or maybe even snacking on poison ivy (yes, poison ivy)!
I will greatly miss listening to him play the spoons or bones with great skill. He somehow got the impression – maybe from my reaction during the many hours of practice he put in during workshops, that his playing was like fingernails scraping on a blackboard to me. Once he got the hang of it, I began to enjoy his playing; and as he became a virtuoso and truly mastered the art (as he did in most things he undertook), as a musician I truly enjoyed his skill. I truly believe that had he been inspired to learn John Phillip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever”, we would have been listening to that around our campfire.
As much as I will miss all of these things, I will mostly miss the quiet wonder of Robert Likas, a Friend good and true.