Throughout the ceremony in the Bob Carpenter Center, images taken by Mr. Cohen--most of them for The Messenger--were projected on a screen behind the speakers.

The Rev. Laura Lee C. Wilson, executive director of the Wesley Foundation Campus Ministry, who opened the ceremony, said the images used in the ceremony showed "not only his skill of photography, his love for the University of Delaware family, but things he saw through his extraordinary eye and heart. As the Jewish proverb reminds us, 'the heart sees better than the eye.' That is how Bob saw people–with his heart, then his eyes," she said.

?UD President David P. Roselle said the location of the event was particularly fitting, since "many of Bob's brightest moments, both as a photographer and as a fan were [in the Bob Carpenter Center] as he photographed the men's and women's basketball teams, not to mention many of the performing artists who have appeared here....

"In talking this week with some of the many, many people who knew and loved Bob, I've heard story after story about his ability to connect with people, to share the best parts of himself, to brighten any event with his laughter and whimsical charm," Roselle said. "That connection with others, that spark, was a great gift that Bob gave to all of us, and I would urge you to reflect on how lucky we are that he did."

?Edward M. Okonowicz Jr., editor in the Office of Public Relations, shared his coworkers' reminiscences of Mr. Cohen's unique sense of humor, his talent and his generosity.

?"Bob Cohen could never get lost in a crowd," Okonowicz said. "We could spend hours talking about his trademarks–from his motorcycle sidecar and red Hornet station wagon with the bullhorns on the hood, to his rumpled T-shirts and the dark blue stocking cap that he sometimes seemed to wear 24 hours a day."

?Cynthia Cummings, director of residence life, said although she did not know Mr. Cohen well, she felt they "shared something intangible, something inexplicable." Years ago, during a photo shoot, when she told him of a diversity training program she was developing, he was immediately interested. Some time later, when the program to train diversity trainers began, Mr. Cohen was there.

?"I was so glad to see him," she said. "I knew that Bob was exactly the kind of person this campus needed to advance the appreciation of diversity. "I hardly knew Bob Cohen, yet I will miss him terribly," she said.

?"I hardly knew Bob Cohen, but what I knew of him I loved."

Robert Cohen was a free-lance photographer from 1980-85 for a range of clients, including UD, Avon Inc., the Democratic Party of Delaware and Richardson Associates. He joined the UD public relations staff in the summer of 1985 after a national search.

?At the University, he earned two awards that recognized his outstanding achievement, creativity and contributions to the campus community. He also won a national award for a cover of the University of Delaware Magazine, as well as awards for his photography from the Advertising Club of Delaware, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and several other professional organizations.

?His personnel file overflows with letters from colleagues, extending thanks, admiration and best wishes, acknowledging Bob's talent for photography, his whimsy and creativity and the enormous joy he brought to his work and most particularly to them.