Bob and I got to know each other in the 7th grade when we worked together on the OJHS lit mag, called with apt, if unintentional, irony THE CHIRP. (Junior high schoolers don't do irony. That comes in one's twenties, about the time one realizes that the next year won't necessarily be better than the current one.)
At DMHS Bob was in every way top of the class--a leader academically and in student government and, while I didn't follow sports closely, doubtless a more than passable soccer player and quarter-miler. What you may not have known is that he accomplished all this while his mother was dying of cancer. He would have been a star in any event, but these attainments were perhaps also a way of diverting himself from what was too painful to look at steadily.
We stayed in touch through the decades and would see each other from time to time, but really we grew close mainly during the past ten years. We would do lunch every few months, sometimes in the company of Buddy Wides and Barbara Reese. He and I regularly exchanged writings, our own and others', as well as reports on the goings-on in our families and commentary on politics and international affairs. Both of us had grown up in Republican households (Oradell back in the day!), but the scales dropped from our eyes quite early, in my case at age 13, when I got hooked on social democracy, and in Bob's during his last year or two at Wesleyan and his time at the London School of Economics, which saw the beginnings of a brilliant foreign and strategic policy expert.
One source of Bob's strength was the breadth of his compass. He was widely read not only in his field but in world literature. There's no better entrée to the mentality of a people than the work of their poets and storytellers, although Bob read them as much for his own enjoyment as for the cultural aperçus. He and I regularly exchanged poems. The closing lines of Mary Oliver's "When Death Comes," a poem we both admired, map onto his character beautifully:
When it's over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it's over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.
I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.
Professionally, Bob lived in the midst of deadly serious clashes, especially as our NATO ambassador during the Bosnian conflict. (Ever the diplomat, he was never rude or crude. He traveled in elite circles, without compromising his loyalty to the friends of his Oradell and Englewood years.) That the catastrophic stroke of January 9th should have come in the midst of NATO's worst crisis since the 1950s is ironic. He understood the alliance as well as any person on earth and would have had trenchant insights to offer.
He lay in a coma for more than a week. Barbara Reese, always generous with her time and bountiful energy, stepped in to accompany his wife, Shireen, to the hospital and to offer comfort in a dire situation. My daughter Catherine and I visited Bob the evening before the decision to withdraw life support was taken. He was physically unresponsive, but since hearing is believed to be the last sense to shut down, I clasped his hand and told him how much our 73-year friendship meant to me. I had the feeling I was speaking for some of you as well. I don't know how much got through, but I hope that at least the sentiment behind my words did.
Farewell, dear friend. "May choirs of angels sing thee to thy rest."
Richard Cross...Thanks for being there , Dick...we sure were a closely knit group of 27-ish at OJHS...lots of emories from there...and us walking to school EVERY day..Hope you are well..take care !
Robert Hunter, my best friend, passed away January 17, 2026. He was an exceptionally accomplished and compassionate human being. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Robert and I have been friends for 73+ years having met in Oradell, NJ at the age of about 12. As classmates in Oradell Junior High School, we both were very active. In the school band he played the trombone, and in Boy Scouts we achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with 2 others. It was a fun time. Then on to Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, NJ. In High School we were both on our Soccer team. In Spring Track, Robert ran the quarter mile and I cheered him on as he almost won the State Championship only to be nudged into second place by another. He was President of The High School Student Council and I was his Vice President. Following graduation on to Wesleyan, a very prestigious Connecticut school then to London School of Economics where he achieved his Doctorate and met Shireen, his wife.
Robert was a junior member of the Carter National Security Council (1977-1979). He was close to Pres. Carter, so close that when Robert visited Pres. Carter on his 100th birthday Pres. Carter greeted him as “Bob”; they were close friends. Robert’s whole career was focused on Foreign Policy and Democratic Party events. He was a speech writer for Johnson, Humphrey, and Mondale to whom he introduced me when we visited the Hunters in DC.
His appointment during the Clinton administration as NATO Ambassador (1993-1998) was one of his most satisfying times. Robert was always interested in people and wanted to do things that helped others. Of particular concern to him was avoiding war. During the “Bosnian War” Robert was instrumental in NATO’s involvement to end the war which they did. He spoke annually at NATO Conferences.
Robert was family. I knew his brother and parents and he was close with mine. Robert’s mother suffered from a serious medical ailment but was able to make his HS graduation; she missed Wesleyan so I attended. My family visited Shireen and Robert several times always having great discussions and reminiscing’s. Robert always called on my Birthday just before Christmas. The last two decades Robert and I would have regular phone conversations and recently we’d zoom. We’d discuss personal things, his puppies, Niloufar and Rusty, and our growing up. We rarely discussed world events, I think Robert enjoyed talking about our lives. Robert’s intelligence and memory recall was amazing to me. He would remember historical and events growing up I never could, and he was always educating me. I will certainly miss these times with Hunts. He was a great friend, good listener and always asked about my family.
Robert was a devout Christian man. We often talked about values and faith; his were strong. May God have Grace on Roberts Soul and welcome him into eternity. Rest-in-Peace my Friend.
Richard Cross
Bob and I got to know each other in the 7th grade when we worked together on the OJHS lit mag, called with apt, if unintentional, irony THE CHIRP. (Junior high schoolers don't do irony. That comes in one's twenties, about the time one realizes that the next year won't necessarily be better than the current one.)
At DMHS Bob was in every way top of the class--a leader academically and in student government and, while I didn't follow sports closely, doubtless a more than passable soccer player and quarter-miler. What you may not have known is that he accomplished all this while his mother was dying of cancer. He would have been a star in any event, but these attainments were perhaps also a way of diverting himself from what was too painful to look at steadily.
We stayed in touch through the decades and would see each other from time to time, but really we grew close mainly during the past ten years. We would do lunch every few months, sometimes in the company of Buddy Wides and Barbara Reese. He and I regularly exchanged writings, our own and others', as well as reports on the goings-on in our families and commentary on politics and international affairs. Both of us had grown up in Republican households (Oradell back in the day!), but the scales dropped from our eyes quite early, in my case at age 13, when I got hooked on social democracy, and in Bob's during his last year or two at Wesleyan and his time at the London School of Economics, which saw the beginnings of a brilliant foreign and strategic policy expert.
One source of Bob's strength was the breadth of his compass. He was widely read not only in his field but in world literature. There's no better entrée to the mentality of a people than the work of their poets and storytellers, although Bob read them as much for his own enjoyment as for the cultural aperçus. He and I regularly exchanged poems. The closing lines of Mary Oliver's "When Death Comes," a poem we both admired, map onto his character beautifully:
When it's over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it's over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.
I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.
Professionally, Bob lived in the midst of deadly serious clashes, especially as our NATO ambassador during the Bosnian conflict. (Ever the diplomat, he was never rude or crude. He traveled in elite circles, without compromising his loyalty to the friends of his Oradell and Englewood years.) That the catastrophic stroke of January 9th should have come in the midst of NATO's worst crisis since the 1950s is ironic. He understood the alliance as well as any person on earth and would have had trenchant insights to offer.
He lay in a coma for more than a week. Barbara Reese, always generous with her time and bountiful energy, stepped in to accompany his wife, Shireen, to the hospital and to offer comfort in a dire situation. My daughter Catherine and I visited Bob the evening before the decision to withdraw life support was taken. He was physically unresponsive, but since hearing is believed to be the last sense to shut down, I clasped his hand and told him how much our 73-year friendship meant to me. I had the feeling I was speaking for some of you as well. I don't know how much got through, but I hope that at least the sentiment behind my words did.
Farewell, dear friend. "May choirs of angels sing thee to thy rest."
Linda Reder (Dohm)
Richard Cross...Thanks for being there , Dick...we sure were a closely knit group of 27-ish at OJHS...lots of emories from there...and us walking to school EVERY day..Hope you are well..take care !
Donald Mason
ROBERT EDWARDS HUNTER
Robert Hunter, my best friend, passed away January 17, 2026. He was an exceptionally accomplished and compassionate human being. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Robert and I have been friends for 73+ years having met in Oradell, NJ at the age of about 12. As classmates in Oradell Junior High School, we both were very active. In the school band he played the trombone, and in Boy Scouts we achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with 2 others. It was a fun time. Then on to Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, NJ. In High School we were both on our Soccer team. In Spring Track, Robert ran the quarter mile and I cheered him on as he almost won the State Championship only to be nudged into second place by another. He was President of The High School Student Council and I was his Vice President. Following graduation on to Wesleyan, a very prestigious Connecticut school then to London School of Economics where he achieved his Doctorate and met Shireen, his wife.
Robert was a junior member of the Carter National Security Council (1977-1979). He was close to Pres. Carter, so close that when Robert visited Pres. Carter on his 100th birthday Pres. Carter greeted him as “Bob”; they were close friends. Robert’s whole career was focused on Foreign Policy and Democratic Party events. He was a speech writer for Johnson, Humphrey, and Mondale to whom he introduced me when we visited the Hunters in DC.
His appointment during the Clinton administration as NATO Ambassador (1993-1998) was one of his most satisfying times. Robert was always interested in people and wanted to do things that helped others. Of particular concern to him was avoiding war. During the “Bosnian War” Robert was instrumental in NATO’s involvement to end the war which they did. He spoke annually at NATO Conferences.
Robert was family. I knew his brother and parents and he was close with mine. Robert’s mother suffered from a serious medical ailment but was able to make his HS graduation; she missed Wesleyan so I attended. My family visited Shireen and Robert several times always having great discussions and reminiscing’s. Robert always called on my Birthday just before Christmas. The last two decades Robert and I would have regular phone conversations and recently we’d zoom. We’d discuss personal things, his puppies, Niloufar and Rusty, and our growing up. We rarely discussed world events, I think Robert enjoyed talking about our lives. Robert’s intelligence and memory recall was amazing to me. He would remember historical and events growing up I never could, and he was always educating me. I will certainly miss these times with Hunts. He was a great friend, good listener and always asked about my family.
Robert was a devout Christian man. We often talked about values and faith; his were strong. May God have Grace on Roberts Soul and welcome him into eternity. Rest-in-Peace my Friend.
Don Mason