The Rotary Club of Lincoln received a very generous and lasting gift of several properties following the passing of Robert S. Dart, a dedicated and long-serving member of our Club.

 

Bob was a lifelong resident of Lincoln, passing away on September 11, 2019, at the age of 94. He proudly served as a U.S. Army corporal during World War II, having enlisted in January 1944 before completing high school. After the war, Bob began working at the Lincoln Post Office and was appointed Postmaster around 1959. He retired from that position in 1980 at the age of 55. In retirement, Bob worked his ranch north of Lincoln, raising cattle and enjoying the land he loved.

 

In his younger years, Bob was an active member of the Lincoln Volunteer Fire Department, the Native Sons of the Golden West, the Lincoln American Legion, and the Lincoln Rotary Club. He is remembered for his kindness, his wry sense of humor, and his love of ballroom dancing. As shared by his conservator and trustee of 20 years, “Bob had a wry sense of humor, was very kind, never had a bad word about anyone, and was certainly more than generous with the distribution of his estate.”

 

Bob joined the Rotary Club of Lincoln in 1956 and remained a faithful member until 2001, when he moved to an assisted living facility in Grass Valley. He is fondly remembered by longtime Rotarians for his high attendance and his role as the club’s “cashier” at meetings. Many recall him simply as “as honest as the day is long.”

 

Bob was never married and was the only son of Grant and Helen Dart. He invested in real estate throughout Lincoln and Marysville. Upon his passing, he left charitable bequests to many medical facilities, community organizations, and nonprofits. The Lincoln Rotary Club Foundation was honored to receive a significant portion of his estate, which included six rental properties, six vacant lots, and his ranch on Big Ben Road.

 

In response to the magnitude of Mr. Dart’s bequest, LRC Properties, Inc. was established in March 2020 as a subsidiary of the Lincoln Rotary Club Foundation. Its purpose was to provide focused oversight of the properties and offer usage recommendations to the Foundation and, by extension, to the Rotary Club of Lincoln. Under the leadership of Rotarian Darrell Scott and the LRC Properties Board of Directors, the rental properties were eventually sold or demolished with many of the lots being divided and sold. Eventually all properties were sold with the funds being transferred to the Foundation.   

 

During the 2023–2024 Rotary year, the Bob Dart Strategic Committee was formed to assess and prioritize community needs while honoring the enduring legacy of Bob Dart, who served the Club faithfully for 45 years. As part of this initiative, a comprehensive Community-Wide Assessment was conducted to gather input from all segments of Lincoln. The findings led to a renewed commitment to expanding existing community programs, introduce new initiatives, and develop a special project dedicated to Mr. Dart’s memory and his deep love for the Lincoln community.  That project, formally announced at the Rotary Club’s 100^th Anniversary Celebration Gala on November 1, 2025, was to commit $2,000,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Placer County under that agreement that they establish a facility in Lincoln.  The remainder of the funds developed through the sale of the properties will remain with the Club Foundation for funding future projects through the capital and earnings invested by the Foundation Board.