Loss of our friend … Bob Ferraro
It is with great sadness that we hear of the passing of Bob Ferraro in Boulder City, Nevada. Bob was many things including a great bottle collector, politician, business man, human being and most important, a friend to many and an inspiration.
Read: Former Mayor Bob Ferraro dies at 81
FOHBC Hall of Fame: 2002 – Bob Ferraro
President of the Federation from 1977-79, he has been a collector since the mid-1950s. He built outstanding collections of figural bitters, eastern whiskeys and Nevada bottles. He co-authored (with first wife Pat) The Past in Glass (1963) and A Bottle Collector’s Book (1964). He continues to serve the Federation (first vice president 2008-14) and director-at-large (2015).
FOHBC President: Bob Ferraro, 1977 – 1978, Boulder City, Nevada
Bob was chairman of the Federation’s Western Region from 1973-75 before becoming FOHBC president. He was president of the Southern Nevada Antique Bottle Collectors Club from 1971-73. One of his primary goals while serving the national organization was to increase membership by proposing to change the name of the organization from Federation of Historical Bottle Clubs to Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors. “During my term in office, the Federation decided to hold a national show in a different region each year and to have an exposition every four years in a different region. We were attempting to model the expositions after the first national show held in St. Louis in 1976. I believe we have met this objective. I have met and worked with many bottle collectors from all four regions within our country. This has been a pleasing and satisfying experience. Bottle collectors are great people!” He was inducted into the FOHBC Hall of Fame in 2002.
I knew Bob for only a few years, but had purchased a couple of his bottle books early in the hobby (started 1969). Then I put together state-by-state histories of bottle collecting and his Nevada history was (and is) one of the very best of all of them, Great reading, so much so that I wish I could go back in history and go digging with him! We e-mailed each other (mayorbob was a part of his address) over the years. I was surprised that he was a mayor. I finally met him at one of the FOHBC shows some years ago. He was a very nice man and a serious proponent of all things FOHBC. He will be missed..