Bobby "Bob" Byron Thigpen

Bobby "Bob" Byron Thigpen

November 6, 1938-September 17, 2025

Bobby "Bob" Byron Thigpen died on September 17, 2025, at the age of 86 in Plano, Texas. He shared the last twelve years of his life with his loving partner, Carol Empsom. Together they lived in Ruidoso, New Mexico and later moved mainly to Plano to be near Carol's daughters, Kate (married to Steve), and Sarah (married to Bryan), and three grandchildren, Andrew, Jack, and Levi. Bob loved being part of their family.

Bob was the father of five children, three with his first wife JoAnn: Andrew (died 1998), Amy (married to Jeff), Judith, and two with his second wife Julia: Rebecca (married to Pat), and Douglas (married to Persis). He is also survived by four grandchildren: Luke, Grace, Riya, and Farzana, and by his brother Tom (married to Juliana), and his extended family. Bob loved his family.

Born November 6, 1938, in Shreveport, Louisiana, to Byron and Bessie Thigpen of Bay Springs, Mississippi. His childhood was spent in Bossier City, Louisiana. As a young man, he played tuba in the Bearcat Marching Band, worked on his parents' farm, and participated in 4-H before turning his attention to student government.

At Louisiana State University (LSU), Bob was active in the Westminster Fellowship and in the national honorary fraternity Phi Eta Sigma. It was at LSU that he became engaged in civil rights activism. He studied Political Science-then called Government-and graduated in just three years. The next year, he accepted a Rockefeller Scholarship to Princeton Seminary, where he explored a calling to the ministry. Returning to LSU, he earned a master's degree in government in 1961.

That same year, Bob moved to Berkeley, California with his first wife, where he began doctoral studies and worked as a teaching assistant for three years before returning to Louisiana in 1964 to join the University of New Orleans (UNO) as an instructor of Political Science. He completed his Ph.D. at Tulane University in 1969, writing his dissertation on William Ernest Hocking, a Harvard scholar in Theology and Politics. Bob went on to become a professor at UNO and to serve as chairman of the department for many years. He co-wrote and published political papers with his friend and colleague Lyle Downing.

Bob was happiest outdoors and especially loved wilderness. He canoed the rivers of Louisiana and swam laps in the Gulf before the high-rises transformed the shoreline, He climbed peaks in the Rocky Mountains while backpacking with his dear friend William Barnwell and sometimes with their families. Bob relished music, singing, and dancing. He liked to dance with his daughters on the streets of the French Quarter and later excelled at ballroom dancing in Ruidoso. Bob's kids called him "crazy legs" when he did the jitterbug, and he was a popular dance partner at the WPS in Ruidoso, as well as at his children's weddings and in the living room with Carol.

Bob was a wonderful grandfather. He was very involved with and interested in his grandchildren. He spent a lot of time with Luke in Ruidoso and was a strong presence in Luke and Graces' lives. Riya affectionately called him "GrandBob." Farzana, born only three months before his death, was playful and perplexed when seeing his face on video calls.

He was a teacher and an eternal student. He learned to ski with his youngest son, and during the last years of his life, Bob and Carol learned to play bridge. He studied daily. He was disciplined and committed to in-depth exploration of ideas and to sharing his knowledge. He enjoyed preparing presentations which he shared at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (UUF).

Throughout his life, Bob remained engaged in life's largest questions and in the things that gave his life meaning. Although it became difficult, Bob continued to sing. He found solace and spiritual uplift in the community of the UUF choir in Ruidoso and in Plano. Bob also continued playing word games, an outlet for his highly competitive nature and sharp intellect. He and Carol played his favorite game, Scrabble, every day.

Bob will be remembered for his bright and questioning mind, self-discipline, dry sense of humor, love of nature and music, and dedication to his family and friends. Bob was dearly loved and will be greatly missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 27 at 1 o'clock in Plano, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to one of the following organizations:

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

NPR: National and Public News

The Sierra Club