Remembering Bob Lopp

By Kay Mitchell

When someone asks you what Flathead Audubon is working on currently, do you say, “Oh, I don’t know; I’m just a member”? Do you ever wonder how we managed to get through our 47 years as an organization with everyone being “just a member”? How does one become something more than “just a member?” 

Bob Lopp was a founding member of the Flathead Audubon Society (FAS). He was “just a guy” who taught German at Flathead High School. Once a month, after teaching all day and with small children at home, he still managed to eat a quick supper and then drive 30 miles round trip in Montana winters to attend Audubon meetings in Bigfork and give input on establishing and growing our newly-formed chapter. He volunteered for work parties, but also stepped forward to lead work crews, provide transportation for crews and their tools and (in his “retirement gig” as a financial planner) identified and arranged an annual grant to help with the costs of the work projects. FAS also spent many years holding evening meetings in Bob and Jane Lopp’s office meeting room free of charge. 

Bob transferred his leadership talents from the classroom to Flathead Audubon activities. He had an uncanny ability to understand the missions of groups he volunteered with and to see the necessary path for those missions to succeed. As he quietly took on responsibilities toward our FAS mission, he became known and respected for his thoughtful opinions. 

Bob served as president of FAS twice. Jokingly, he said he never really stopped being president, as he mentored and guided each president after him. Each of us who served as president leaned on Bob for our chapter’s history, what worked and what didn’t, and who we could go to for information, perspective, donations and decision-making. He and wife Jane knew pretty much everybody in Kalispell on a first-name basis, knew their families, children and what their grades were in high school German!

We will miss Bob as a “father” of our chapter, a leader and a cheerleader. His absence leaves a hole in our fabric. We laughed and cried, worked and sang together. Bob gave much of himself and his talents but blended in with the rest of us. Keep in mind this story of how Flathead Audubon helped Bob Lopp develop his unique visionary skills, perspective and humor. If you believe that you are “just a member,” follow Bob’s example: show up, speak up, volunteer your time and opinions. The rewards will benefit your own life, birds and nature, and Flathead Audubon.