Remembering Bobby Fong, Former Butler President

Editor’s Note, Sept. 10, 2014: Former Butler University president Dr. Bobby Fong died on Sept. 8 from natural causes at age 64. Raised in the Chinatown section of Oakland, California, and educated at Harvard and UCLA, Dr. Fong became Butler’s 20th president in 2001. He left the university in 2011 and became president of Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. In tribute, here is our 2006 City Guide story about Dr. Fong making his home in Indy for 10 years during his Butler tenure.


My office
Decorated with Oscar Wilde and baseball memorabilia. One job candidate remarked, “I love baseball! How ’bout them Raiders?”
My favorite spot on campus
Starbucks, where I hold a weekly Open Forum for students, staff, faculty and neighbors.
My culture fix
A baseball game at Victory Field.
My season tickets
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Butler basketball.
My favorite meal out
Fettucine with clam sauce at Ambrosia in Broad Ripple.
My last local purchase
Dog biscuits from Osco for Blue II, Butler’s mascot (pictured)
My favorite reason to drive across town
Sports Memories on Shadeland. I’m working on a collection of Topps trading cards from 1951 to the present.
My in-the-car soundtrack
Cowboy songs from old movies and TV shows.
My to-do list
Walk the Monon Trail and stop in Plump’s Last Shot.
My way to give back to the community
I’m on the Abe Lincoln Scholarship Committee of the Indianapolis Kiwanis, which awards scholarships to college-bound students
who have overcome physical or environmental difficulties.
My perfect day in the city
Walk with my wife and our dog from the University down the Central Canal Towpath to Illinois Street Emporium for brunch.
My advice to students
Discover your gifts, pursue your passions, and never forget that your own flourishing is always tied to
promoting the well-being of others.