Bobby Wayne Simpson

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Bobby (Bob) Wayne Simpson, 67, of Jonesboro, AR, died peacefully in the early morning of Thursday, June 29, in Jonesboro, with his wife of twenty-five years, Molly, and his mother, Alcyon Simpson, at his side.

He is also survived by his two brothers, Dion (Theresa) Simpson of Malvern and Mark (Vicki) Simpson of Little Rock; the four children of his and Molly's blended family, Chelsea (Phil) Dietz of Laguna Hills, CA, Kaitlin (Eric) Anders of Sammamish, WA, Mandy (Chad) Mary of London, England, and Drew (Sheridan) Posey of Little Rock; seven grandchildren, Evie, William, Annie, Lottie, Daxton, Duke, and Penny; as well as numerous much-loved nieces and nephews. Bob's father, Bill, predeceased him.

Born December 24, 1955, in New Orleans, LA, Bob attended public schools in Scottsdale, AZ, and Little Rock, AR. He received a BFA from Arkansas State University's Department of Speech and Theatre, followed by an MFA in Scenic Design from the University of Mississippi. He was actively recruited by the then Department of Speech Communication and Theatre in 1982. The university was repaid with two hundred productions.

Bob retired from Arkansas State University as Professor Emeritus of Theatre in 2016. During his tenure, in addition to teaching he served as Chair of the Department of Theatre and Director of the Fowler Center. He received the A-State Faculty Achievement Award for Service in 2000.

During his time as department chair, he transformed the old Wilson Hall auditorium into a workable and hardworking by theatre and devoted years of thought and planning to two legitimate theatres that were ready to roll out when plans for construction of the Fowler Center were announced. The unique Black Box Experimental Theatre, the envy of thespians throughout the region, was rechristened The Simpson Theatre in honor of both Bob and Molly on the occasion of their retirement.

As a teacher to hundreds of students, Bob emphasized esthetic and technical expertise as well as practical life skills, and he made certain that his students understood the important distinction between set design and stage design. Bob was also a gifted director and four times saw productions reach regional finals in the American College Theatre Festival. Although acting was not his greatest theatrical passion, when called upon to act he did so superbly.

Bob's stage designs were legendary, ranging from elegant set pieces to designs that defied limitations of space and time. He received numerous awards for his design work from the American College Theatre Festival of the Kennedy Center, including the Kennedy Center Medallion for the Arts for technical theatre. He was a member of the Arkansas Thespian Hall of Fame.

Outside of work, Bob loved running, participating in numerous half marathons, and snow and water skiing. Together with Molly, he enjoyed travel and adventure. Among other adventures, they hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon twice, helped build a portion of the Continental Trail, and climbed to the highest peak in Colorado, Mt. Elbert. The whole family and numerous friends enjoyed pictures and tales of travels in Canada, the Virgin Islands, France, Greece, Italy, and sites all over the United States.

But Bob will be remembered most of all for his kindness, his decency, his mischievous sense of humor (Halloween was his favorite holiday), his love of family and friends. He was someone you could count on. Laid back, he did not seek attention. He was quiet and an attentive listener who did not share his opinion unless it was warranted, and then it was spot on. Loved and respected by all who knew him, he will be greatly missed.

A memorial service, “For the Love of Bob,” will be held Friday, July 7, at 2:00, preceded by a visitation at 1:00, at Emerson Funeral Home. The service will be live-streamed. Honorary pallbearers are Dion Simpson, Mark Simpson, Drew Posey, Phil Dietz, Eric Anders, Chad Mary, Craig Snow, Rich Jorn, Mark Zimmer, and William Allen.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob’s name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or the A-State Department of Theatre Scholarship Fund.