Robert “Bob” McCamy

Throughout his Rotary journey, Bob held every leadership role in the club, serving twice as President. He helped steward scholarship programs, mentored countless new members and incoming presidents, championed young people through RYLA and the high school Interact club, welcomed Rotary Youth Exchange students from around the world, and supported service projects that reached both our local community and communities across the globe. Fellow members came to call him “Mr. Rotary” for his deep knowledge of the organization and his readiness to take on any task, large or small.

His service reached well beyond the club. An Eagle Scout from Georgia and a graduate of Georgia Tech, Bob settled in Wake Forest in 1965 with his wife Jean and raised their three children here, building small businesses downtown before founding McCamy Associates, a cabinetry sales agency that grew to cover nine states. He supported the Kramden Institute's work putting refurbished computers in the hands of students, and helped found LaunchWakeForest, the free business accelerator the club still champions today. Jean, his beloved wife of 65 years, passed away in 2024.

In February 2026, Bob received one of Wake Forest's highest civic honors, the Vivian A. Jones Peace Prize. In a rare and unanimous decision, the selection committee recognized Bob's lifetime of service and extraordinary contributions to the community. Although health challenges prevented him from attending the ceremony, his daughter proudly accepted the award on his behalf. The standing ovation that followed reflected the deep respect and gratitude felt throughout Wake Forest for a man whose quiet leadership had touched so many lives.

As fellow Rotarian Mark Scarborough so fittingly described him, Bob was “a steady presence at the gate”: faithful, humble, dependable, and foundational. Those words capture not only the Rotarian he was, but the friend, mentor, and community leader so many came to know and admire.