On October 2, 2016, lifetime member Roberto “Bobby” M. Paterno passed away. Bobby joined the club in 1978 and was sponsored by Ramon F. Marcos. He held the following positions for the club: Club Secretary – 1982, Director – 1984, President – 1985, Vice President – 1986, Director – 1988, Vice President – 1991, Club Secretary – 1992, Director – 2002, Vice President – 2006 and Director – 2007. He became a Master Photographer in 1984 and served as the club historian.
Fellow Master Photographer and 1992 President Quincy Castillo wrote the following tribute for Bobby:
Roberto “Bobby” Paterno
Bobby Paterno, a very good man, husband, father and grandfather. I no longer remember how many times I told him personally that I idolized him. He always gave me a simple unassuming smile each time I paid him this compliment which came straight from my heart and mind.
A highly educated person, Bobby earned a doctorate degree from Harvard. He helped run Meralco for many years and was also the one responsible for the Meralco Museum as he was a Historian. Bobby also founded the Phil. Cancer Society after loosing his youngest son to cancer.
I know that he did countless other good things for many people however, I would like to talk about his contributions to our club. He was a dedicated amateur photographer in the true sense of the word. Bobby won the Master Cup, became President, Vice-President and for so very many years he served in the CCP Board and worked hard on everything that needed his excellent efficiency.
One of the reasons I idolized him so much was that I saw how efficiently he worked and made our board meetings flow seamlessly and also Bobby made sure we accomplished as much as possible in each and every board meeting and had a gift for saving time. I was in the board with him for many years when I was new at our Club.
A typical board meeting will go like this. Bobby would always present matters that had to be decided on, signed and approved by the board. After the board deliberated on an issue at hand, he would ask the members to kind of vote on said issue. Bobby was like a magician. After the majority decision was reached, he would open his briefcase and present the papers we all had to sign to make things happen. This is why I truly admired him.
I will miss his company dearly as so will countless other people and no doubt especially his family. Bobby lived a good life and I have no doubt that he is now in a better place.
I will always remember Bobby’s kind demeanor and gentleness.
On October 5, 2016, the club paid last respects to Bobby with a tribute during the wake.
