# Who is Bob White and why is he important? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 19, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680 "2012-06-19T20:59:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/1 "2012-06-19T20:59:36Z")
Back on Memorial Day I was visiting the one group of friends I kinda made down here and she lives on Bobwhite ln. When I typed that into my GPS I mis-remembered it and typed Bob White dr, which there was one of those too. And just now I read someone who’s address was Bobwhite Ln, but in an entire different part of the country! Who the hell is Bob White and why are so many roads named after him? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/2 "2012-06-19T21:07:50Z")
Meet [Bob White](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobwhite). ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/3 "2012-06-19T21:17:01Z")
the guy invented paved roads and they are named in his honor. there was a USA Air Force general who was an x-15 test pilot. there also is a North American quail. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/4 "2012-06-19T21:43:58Z")
Canadian Director of the United Auto Workers from 1978 until he persuaded the Canadian membership to break away and form and Canadian Auto Workers in 1984. Then President of CAW until 1992. I don’t know why all those roads are named after him. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/5 "2012-06-19T21:49:00Z")
Guy who worked in the Bryn Mawr College Library mailroom with my BIL about 40 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/6 "2012-06-19T21:50:09Z")
In my area it is the bobwhite bird. If the road is more than 50 years old, it is likely where everyone went to blast the smithereens out of them. I grew up on pumpkin hollow road… guess what was grown in the old hollow. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/7 "2012-06-19T21:59:18Z")
Well, he was a radio DJ on WAYE in Baltimore I dated in the late 1970s . . . Don’t know if that merits having streets named for him . . . ---
**Author:** ![bot3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@bot3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bot3)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/8 "2012-06-20T11:32:34Z")
Also a song made famous by Martha Tilton with the Benny Goodman Orch. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/9 "2012-06-20T14:10:45Z")
Holy hell I didn’t know that…that’s cool! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/10 "2012-06-20T15:57:39Z")
> [@Enkel](#): > > I grew up on pumpkin hollow road… guess what was grown in the old hollow. Bobwhite? ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/11 "2012-06-20T16:42:05Z")
I _live_ on Bobwhite Drive! Unless it’s Bob White Drive. The signs on the ends of the block disagree. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/12 "2012-06-20T20:46:44Z")
It’s because he pronounced his name in such a cool way, starting off slow and low on the “Bob” and then a rapid quick rise in tone on the “White”. Very memorable. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/13 "2012-06-20T21:02:16Z")
I thought he was a buddy of Bill W. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-bob-white-and-why-is-he-important/625680/14 "2012-06-20T21:54:01Z")
Nah, he’s my cousin. Used to be the high school band director, then he ran a music store. He’s retired now, but his son (Bob Junior) works with a crew that does some specialized something with NASCAR racetracks. Or a bird.