January 15, 1966 – May 26, 2019
Robert Alan Vaughan, born January 15, 1966, passed away on Sunday, May 26, 2019, after a year-long struggle with cancer.
Bob was much known and loved by the many people he encountered pursuing his interests in theatrical lighting and sound, amateur radio, and photography. He was kind and generous to all, accepting of everyone and always willing to help with a question or task. He also always seemed to have at hand just the tool or equipment needed. In later years he brought many classmates and friends together by his active participation on Facebook.
Always his own person and technically-inclined, as early as elementary school Bob was known for running the film projectors. In high school, he was one of the newspaper and yearbook photographers, as well as working in the school theatre. He first acquired his trademark long hair and beard during this time. His participation in Boy Scouts translated into a lifelong love of hiking and backpacking. He also worked for years at Stanford’s radio station KZSU and was a member of Stanford’s Amateur Radio Club W6YX.
Bob was a mentor to many in the South Bay theatre community, having been a fixture as a stage technician, master electrician, lighting designer, and sound designer at Palo Alto High School, West Bay Opera, TheatreWorks, Foothill College, and Opera San Jose, and later as an audio-visual technician at Stanford University and Santa Clara University.
Bob was an early adopter of the internet, having helped set up one of the first IRC (Internet Relay Chat) servers at Stanford. At Foothill College he was a great resource in the computer networking lab, setting up labs for other students, answering their questions and checking their work.
An avid “ham,” Bob was known widely from his participation in amateur radio contests and online discussion groups by his callsigns AF6RR and KC6SXC, which he sported on license plates on his antenna-festooned trucks. (His earlier vehicles – an old Volvo station wagon and a vintage VW bus, were equally distinctive.)
A lifelong “deadhead,” Bob was an avid fan of the Grateful Dead and a wide range of other music with a positive message and gentle spirit that matched his own.
Bob is survived by his mother Barbara, brother Matt, and two nephews.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Bob at Santa Clara University (500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara), Learning Commons Viewing and Taping room A, from 6-8pm on Friday, June 7, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/events/327020704638045/ We welcome donations in Bob’s memory to the Cancer Research Institute. https://www.cancerresearch.org/