Beloved Berkeley school volunteer honored after surviving carjacking rampage
Beloved Berkeley school volunteer struck by alleged carjacker gets award
Robert Clear was greeted on Wednesday to roaring cheers from a Berkeley elementary school community where he's been a longtime volunteer. Clear was among those struck and injured by an alleged carjacker.
BERKELEY, Calif. - A beloved Berkeley school volunteer who was among several people injured by an alleged carjacker last month received a special recognition on Wednesday.
To chants of "Mr. Bob!" longtime Emerson Elementary School volunteer Robert Clear was greeted with cheers from hundreds of students and presented with an award recognizing his kindness — just weeks after being hurt in a rampage that ended near the school.
Honored for kindness and dedication
At a ceremony on campus, Clear, 78, expressed gratitude for being recognized and for the fact that no children were hurt during the September incident.
Clear, a retired Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory employee, has volunteered at Emerson for decades — greeting families each weekday morning, helping children out of cars, and keeping traffic flowing safely. He’s known for addressing every student by name.
Beloved school volunteer, struck and injured by alleged carjacker in Berkeley, to be honored
A 78-year-old Berkeley man, who was recently struck by a car on his way to the school where he's been a longtime volunteer, is expected to receive a thunderous reception when he returns to the school to be honored this week.
Survivor of a frightening rampage
In September, Clear’s daily routine came to a sudden halt when he was struck by a man driving a stolen BMW in Berkeley’s Elmwood District.
He had been riding his bike on Derby Street when the driver hit him from behind. Clear’s helmet saved his life, but he suffered spinal injuries and broken bones and spent time in the hospital.
"I’m very pleased to be back here," Clear said. "I confess, when I found out what had happened, I was rather surprised that I was alive."
Clear’s connection to Emerson runs deep. He attended the school in the 1950s, and his children went there in the 1990s. Even after they grew up, he never left the community.
Asked why he continues to volunteer, Clear said, "It's a community. You do this kind of thing. It's something you want to come in and you want the kids to be here."
Honored With the Chris Kindness Award
Alan Ross, a UC Berkeley business professor and founder of the Chris Kindness Award, presented Clear with this month’s $1,000 honor after he was nominated by Emerson’s PTA.
"You couldn't write a better hollywood script than this, a guy who has ties to this school, going way back," Ross said. "Every day he gets up very early to come help the kids be safe. And it means so much to him and to the community. He's a true hero."
Emerson Principal Jana Holmes agreed.
"He is the persona of the Emerson community because he gives back to us, even though he doesn't have to," she said.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: KTVU reporting