“Dream Your Impossible Dream”
Words and music by Kathy Ewing
with Mrs. Schlup’s 4th Grade Class
©2005 Kathy Ewing
Born in Oregon, in 1936—his Daddy was a lumber loggin’ man
They moved from place to place—never stayed long in one space
He looked upon the moves as something grand
Reading, history and story books—helped him to travel far.
Chopping wood—responsibility is good
Sonny set his sights on a star
(chorus)
Dream your impossible dreams
Take a little honey with you
Leave things better than you found them
We must give back—always taking won’t do
School and chores and a good family life—made him the man he is now
Though he skipped the fourth grade—he made it up with a trade
Twenty-five years in school—Oh, wow!
Eighteen was the age, when he left Oregon—into the service he went
A mechanic, he thought—but in truth, he was not.
Of off to “medics” he was sent (chorus)
Helping the sick, taking time to care—Dr. Bob made his fame
Betty Jo is his bride—with five kids by their side
And eleven grandchildren share his name
Photography and fishing hooks—now claim a lot of his days
Traveling places—and meeting new faces
Take him back to his childhood ways (chorus)
Dr. Bob Roberts was born in 1936 at a small cabin in Oregon. The name he was given at birth was changed when he was in the 6th grade. He was commonly known as “Sonny.” During his childhood he moved many times, but always enjoyed the challenge and making new friends while remembering the oldones he left behind. He worked hard and learned lessons from his chores.
As a child he felt fortunate to live in the woods. During the lean times, they could search the woods for food to survive and the kids in the city couldn’t. He valued what he had, but everyone did since that’s the way life was for everyone. He grew to love music and played the harmonica after paying a child five cents an hour to teach him.
Dr. Bob loved reading and the stories he read taught him to adapt to life. He enjoyed elementary school and even skipped 4th grade. In high school he thought working a job for 8 hours in a bakery, driving his car, and fishing were more important than school so he skipped school a lot. Out of a class of 300 students, he graduated 10th from the bottom.
When he was 18, he wanted to join the Air Force to be a mechanic. Once in the Air Force, his dream ended since he was colorblind and couldn’t do the color-coded mechanic work. He was told he could work in a hospital as a medic and decided to give it a try. At age 18 he saw his first baby born and knew he wanted to be a doctor. Later on, he delivered his first baby in a taxi.
Returning to school, he was excited to learn! This time, out of his college class, he graduated 20th from the top with a GPA of 3.5. Dr. Bob tells kids to learn everything you possibly can, not just the first chapter of your books!
During the tough times of his career, he would sit and listen to the song “Impossible Dream” with his family. At the end of the song, they would say, “Yes, we can make it!!!”
He believed you always needed to learn new things and at age 33 he started riding horses with his daughter. They participated in many 50-100 mile races.
Dr. Roberts loved being a doctor and would do it again. He retired in April 2003. Now he enjoys fishing, traveling with his wife, Betty Jo, and his grandchildren. He recently completed a 200-mile canoe trip with a grandson, tracing Lewis and Clark’s journey down the Missouri River. More trips are planned in the future with Betty Jo and his grandchildren.
Dr. Bob is a great example of being optimistic. He believes in living by the three A’s. If you follow these, you will be successful. 1. Be Available–be there, be on time, don’t miss out. 2. Be Affable–get along, take some honey with you, it will pay off. 3. Be Aggressive–what you put into your life is exactly what you get out of it, nothing more and nothing less. Don’t take life so seriously, enjoy it. Little things don’t matter, but big things don’t either.