ROBERT LYNN HENDERSHOTT (1898-2005)

Robert Hendershott was born in the nineteenth century and died in the twenty-first century. His birth was in St. Louis on August 7, 1898. His parents were Chalmers Doran Hendershott and Cordelia Bartlett Hendershott. Intending a career in banking, he attended Washington University in St. Louis and the Glen City Business College at Quincy, Illinois.

Robert married Marguerite Hamilton on June 6, 1922, and had a daughter, Jeanne. His first wife died on February 18, 1981. His second marriage was to Marjorie Owen in 1983.

Marjorie was born as Marjorie Holmes in 1924. She married Lowell Owen in 1941 and had four children. Lowell died in 1976 and she remarried Robert L. Hendershott in 1983. She served as the first woman president of the Central States Numismatic Society for 1990-1992. Marjorie outlived Robert and died in 2013. As a six-year-old child, he walked with his father to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition and World's Fair. Some time later he wrote the book on 1904 St. Louis World's Fair Mementos and Memorabilia published in 1994.

His first job prior to college was a bank janitor. He was promoted to bank clerk for the Bank of Hawk Point at Lincoln, Missouri. Once out of college, he worked for a bank in Macomb, Illinois. He moved to Florida and briefly sold real estate before joining The Exchange National Bank in Tampa. He bought the bankrupt Mirasol Hotel on Davis Island and made it profitable. With that success he expanded to buy up several other hotels in the area. He became president of the Sarasota hotel owner's association. He was Director of the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce convention bureau, retiring in 1975.

He was founder of the Tampa Coin Club. He was also founding member of Florida United Numismatists (FUN) in 1955, served as first president and as general chairman for the club's shows for decades. He wore an orange jacket and was known as Mr. FUN. Also he was convention chairman for the successful 1974 ANA convention in Bal Harbor, Florida.

Robert received an ANA Medal of Merit in 1986 and the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award in 1993. This was followed by a lesser award, the Glenn Smedley Memorial Award in 1995, a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 and Numismatist of the Year in 1998. He was inducted into the ANA Numismatic Hall of Fame in 2000.

Hendershott celebrated his 100th birthday during the 1998 ANA convention in Portland, Oregon. He signed and passed out Round TUIT's to convention visitors.

Robert died in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 23, 2005, after a life span of 106 years, seven months and fourteen days. By comparison, Eric P. Newman, also born in St. Louis, lived for 106 years, five months and twenty-one days.

His name was listed as R. L Hendershot when he joined the ANA in 1931 as member 3867, making him a member for 74 years. Eric P. Newman joined in 1935 as member 4624 and was a member for 82 years. Smarty-Pants question of the week: Who was the ANA member for the longest period of time? Bonus question: Who will be the topic for my next article?

Bob Hendershott's Birthday Wooden Nickel

 

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: NOVEMBER 21, 2021 : Bob Hendershott's Wooden Nickel (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n47a24.html)

 

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