Robert Paul Sindermann, 82, of Austin, passed away on June 22. He was born on August 16, 1928, in North Adams, Massachusetts, to Carl J. and Effie Packard Sindermann. He married Rachel St. Pierre on July 21, 1951.
Bob is survived by his wife, Rachel; son Robert Jr. and Lisbeth Goldberg of Arlington, Virginia; daughter Lisa Sindermann and Tracy Glass of Kyle; sister Ruth Tavelli of North Adams, Mass.; brother Carl James Sindermann of Easton, Maryland; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Bob was a life-long fan of the Boston Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins. He played on amateur and semi-pro baseball and hockey teams in Massachusetts and later in Texas. He entered Springfield College in the sports program, before serving in the Army during the Korean War and graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He earned his Masters at U. Mass. and entered the Doctoral program in Government at the University of Texas at Austin. He taught Government and assisted the baseball coaching staffs at U.T. Austin, San Antonio College, and Odessa College. While at Odessa College in the 1960s, Bob served as President of the Texas Junior College Teachers Association and helped organize a grass-roots group to establish a four-year college in the city. The University of Texas at the Permian Basin was eventually founded there. He was the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit that resulted in an important U.S. Supreme Court decision, Perry v. Sindermann (1972), that strengthened the constitutional rights of teachers and other public employees. In the 1970s, he worked for U.S. Sen. Ralph Yarborough in Washington and Austin, and he served on the committee staffs of the U.S. Senate, Texas Senate, and Texas Constitutional Convention.
The family is holding a private memorial gathering at a later date. Condolences may be left online at www.penningtonfuneralhome.com Arrangements by Pennington Funeral Home, San Marcos, Texas, 512.353.4311.
