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Dr. H was consistent with his expressed values. As a professor in the Division of Health and Exercise Science, he kept those two subjects as integral aspects in his daily life. He quite literally walked the talk. This man demonstrated an active and healthy lifestyle for everyone around him. A proud advocate of Title IX, Dr. H exhibited an unwavering support for WOU athletics' men's and women's sports. I was always proud as a PA announcer for WOU athletics to look across the court and see one of my former professors regularly supporting the Wolves. The multiple courses of his that I took involved experiences where Dr. H challenged my misconceptions in a way that both broadened my mind and helped me interpret situations with a constructive mindset.

I always appreciated Dr. H's accessibility and willingness to support students; even after they had graduated. After earning my master's at WOU, I had tried and failed nine times in two years to gain acceptance into a PhD program. In late November of 2018, Dr. H met with me to review my Resume and CV and to discuss the letter of recommendation he was writing for me. He submitted the letter for three PhD programs I had applied to in early December 2018, and two weeks later he passed away. Two months later in February 2019, after being rejected by a tenth PhD program in three years, I received an acceptance letter from both the University of Oklahoma's PhD program in Health Promotion Sciences and Arizona State University's PhD program in Exercise and Nutritional Sciences.

Although I wont get to express my gratitude to you face-to-face in this life, I thank you Dr. H for helping me meet an objective that is enabling me to continue pursuing my greatest academic, career, and life goals. I will be pursuing my doctoral degree at ASU this fall, and I will never forget the selfless support and genuine care you put into helping me. You were a class act, an ardent advocate,  and a lifelong learner. Your legacy will live on through the exemplary example you set for your students, colleagues, and loved ones.

My utmost praise,

Michael Royer

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The first class I had with Dr. H was motor development my sophomore year (2009-10). Under the stadium in that tiny storage space (with no windows of course).. at 8am.. and I lived in Corvallis at the time! On day one he hands out the syllabus.. No textbook to buy (which can be both a blessing and a concern). No slides were ever shown and I only remember him drawing one diagram on the white board the entire term. That was a testimate to how much he loved to lecture.

The one thing I will never forget him sharing was a story about a young student he had at one point who was learning how to throw a ball. He said he had the funkiest way of throwing he had ever seen. But the student would still hit the target. And the point was that it doesn't matter how you move as long as you're moving. Form and critical elements didn't have to be perfect if the student could still achieve the goal we're wanting them to achieve.

That story has informed the way that assess students in my teaching. I've also seen it first hand in my own children as they are learning how to move. No matter how unique and different it may be, movement is beautiful. Hope love your new office and it's 360° window Dr. H, you deserve the very best view <3

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I was a senior in college and it was approaching Thanksgiving, Dr. H was going to attend our family dinner as he often did during the Holidays. The week before, he pulled me aside after class and asked me “what are you bringing to dinner?” in his unmistakable  Boston accent. I was a broke intern and full time student at the time and had no money or intention of preparing a dish to bring to dinner. He gave me a hard time all week and suggested bringing a nice homemade “cranburry sawce” as he called it. Selfishly, I didn’t make a thing and come Thanksgiving Day, I showed up to my sister’s house, but when I arrived Dr. H slipped me a brown paper bag with a container of very nice homemade cranberry sauce inside. It struck me as incredibly perceptive, thoughtful, and a little humbling. He knew that I probably wouldn’t bring anything, took time to make it himself all while giving me a little lesson outside the classroom. He believed in accountability but knew what it meant to have compassion.

Dr. H was a professor that gave purposefully vague assignments in order to make you think and create guidelines, he challenged his students to really think; to apply themselves. I will always miss his presence at holidays and remember what a genuine human being he was.

-Garret Caster

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Dr. H was one of my favorite professors in college, and became part of my family shortly after graduating. He was at every major Caster event, from birthdays to holiday celebrations, and his presence at these events will be missed.

As a quiet girl who tried her hardest to talk to no one, he was probably one of the only professors that actually knew my first name and would actually try to engage in conversation with me, and I will never forget his voice and the way he said my name with his Boston accent. His story about his job working at the Post Office will always be pertinent to me, and I will always remember how he held everyone accountable.

He was always curious about what I was doing with my life, mine and Garret’s life together, always asking questions that made our conversations interesting, and always left me thinking, “I like Dr. H”.

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Dr. H was a true believer in all his student’s potential and took the time to make connections, which is what made him so very special to me. I have many fond memories, but I have two favorites that stick out and they happen to be the first and last memories I have of him.

My last was when he snuck in our line to sit with us during commencement, I got to sit right next to him and his humor and commentary throughout made commencement much more entertaining! My first: It was the first day of motor learning my sophomore year and Dr. H was taking roll. When he approached my last name he asked, “do you have Finnish heritage?!” I replied that I do and that I was very surprised he had no trouble pronouncing my name (no teacher has ever been able to pronounce it correctly the first go around). He then proceeded to tell me that he was, too, Finnish and we had a nice side conversation about his travels to Finland and the language.

From that point on Dr. H always took the time to talk and check in with me. He praised my work and pushed me to be my best. During an exercise science awards ceremony he gave a speech about me and my accomplishments, detailing the similarities between “us Finns.” He believed I was going to do great things, as he did with all this students. Rest In Peace Dr. H, my Finnish friend.
- Katie Leino

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Dr. H. was such a special person.  He always had a smile and a kind word for everyone on the sidewalk he passed.  He was a very compassionate man.

He would always ask, how you were doing, and he the way he looked at you, you knew he was truly interested.

He is remembered with such fondness.

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I didn’t know Bob as well as others did, but as colleagues we often had wonderful conversations when we passed on the sidewalk.  We would stop for a few minutes and commiserate about the direction WOU was taking.  We would share stories about things occurring on campus with which we didn’t agree.  We were of like minds.  When I decided to retire in order to maximize my benefits rather than risk having my benefits reduced, we spoke in depth about the pros and cons of retiring at that time.  Seeing the PERS writing on the wall, I encouraged him to leave as well, but his commitment to his teaching and to his students was so deep. I admired him for that, but I’m so sad that he didn’t have enough time to fully embrace his retirement.  WOU has suffered a greater loss than it may ever know.  Bob was honest, insightful, thoughtful and intelligent.  He had a strong moral and ethical foundation, something that is becoming more rare in higher education.

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I never had the chance to take any of his courses, but I recall "bumping" into him once in the men's locker room in HWC. I had just completed a workout and was going to get showered up before heading home. I remember we spoke briefly about our beloved Sox (as he had on a Sox ball cap, and I was in my Sox shirt. having made it to the postseason, winning the division over our hated rival New York Yankees. I had told him how I became a fan of the organization back during their World Series run in 85, having lost in a heartbreaker to the guys from Queens, the New York Mets. We spoke for a few minutes and I wished him well. Having heard of his tragic passing, I hope he had had the chance to give "Teddy Ballgame"( Ted Williams) a hug for me. May you RIP, my fellow Red Sox fan. #letsdodamagein19

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Dr. H was such a caring person when he would come into the HWC and chat with me about all different types of things including my future and why I wanted to teach. The best part about this is that Dr. H did not have me as a student but still cared about me as if I were his student. Dr. H cared about everyone he came in contact with.

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There are people you meet that you know, from the first few seconds, that they are solid to the core. Bob was one of those people. He was so genuine, and there was so little pretense about him, that it made you like him immediately. When he talked to you, when he asked you how were doing, you knew that he was really listening and he really cared. I had the chance to work with Bob on lots of technology-related things over the years and he was always a delight. I felt my own spirit brighten whenever he walked through my door.
--Scott Carter, WOU

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Dr H was a special person and a great professor.

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Dr H was one of the most influential professors that I have encountered in my time in college. My first term at WOU I took a class from him and I remember being frustrated at times by his nontraditional way of presenting material and testing. As the term went on I started to see the reasoning behind why he did things the way he did and I developed a real respect for his way of teaching. He was a professor who was not only passionate about the material that he was presenting but he truly cared about education in a way that can be lost in the university setting. Dr H was always seeking new ways of connecting students to the material and he was not held back by the traditional way of doing things. The concepts that I learned in his classes I still draw upon in my work to this day.  He believed in his students and he really cared about us! I still have photos on my phone of him sitting next to me during graduation. Yes, I have selfies with Dr H! :) Dr H was a special person and a great professor. He will be greatly missed! -Alicia Looney

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I had only one class with Dr. H. my second year at Western. Despite that, he remembered my name through to graduation and was always up for a chat if I saw him around campus. So kind and so full of knowledge and wit.

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Dr. H was by far my FAVORITE teacher at Western Oregon! He was an amazing professor and we shared a love for the Boston Red Sox. You will be missed! I am so glad I got to see him a couple years ago!

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Dr. H was truly an amazing professor and man. He loved teaching, loved his students, loved WOU, and loved life. I remember his class being hard, but now that I am older and look back, it was like that because he wanted nothing but the absolute best out of his students. He wanted us to succeed in life. He made us dig deep within ourselves to find the greatness within us. He believed in us. He will be missed greatly, rest easy Dr. H.

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Bob was a dear friend and colleague.  We spent hours together in the stands watching volleyball, in the car searching for the perfect fishing spots, and on the river enjoying the beauty of Oregon and the joy of catching a trout on a fly rod.

We loved discussing coaching philosophy and he wanted to know everything that was going on on the volleyball court. Bob was such a good man...a man who was dedicated to his students, loved his profession, and was crazy about his kids and grandkids. My heart aches for the loss of this wonderful person and I send my deepest symphony to his family.  My life was enriched by calling Bob my friend.  I think of him daily and miss him dearly.

Judy Lovre

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Rest Easy Dr. H. My favorite thing about Dr. H wasn’t just the impact he had on his students in the classroom, but outside of it. I always saw his big smiling face before and after my work out in the health and wellness center. He being a Red Sox fan and me being a Yankee fan, we definitely had our share of disagreements. But I’ll always have my most favorite memory of Dr. H, it was the term after I had taken Motor Learning I was walking into the HWC when I saw him talking to another student. I didn’t bother to stop and say hello because I didn’t want to interrupt and figured I’d see him after. But he stopped mid sentence to tell the student he was talking too about me. I will miss you in the HWC Dr. Thank you for everything.
Austin Jones, the Yankee fan.

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Dr. Hautala was by far on of the most dedicated teachers I have ever had. He made sure to know every one of his students and was always making time for students to succeed. I was looking forward to catching up with him since graduation. I am blessed to have met him he taught me so many life lessons I will miss our conversations

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Dr. H always made time for his students. Even after class was over, he remembered my name and would always stop to catch up.

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Dr. H was an incredible professor, mentor and friend. I loved the type of environment he created in his classes and discussions that came from it.

I played basketball for the women’s program at Western from 2007-2010 and coached for two seasons after. He was at every single one of my home games. I remember where he sat and how he’d show up even before warm-ups began. Around my junior year I started going up and sitting by him every game for a couple minutes before we started warming up. He would ask me how I was feeling, who he thought had been playing well and what to expect from the opposing team. I loved our conversations and truly appreciated his advice and support. He was a huge fan of women’s sports and WOU in general.

Dr. H attended my wedding in 2013 and we continued to communicate via email ever since. He would tell me about his plans for retirement, visiting his family back east and of course how the current WOU teams were doing.

When I heard of his passing my heart sank. He is gone far too early and before he really got to enjoy the fruits of his labor. I hope his family knows how loved he was and is by MANY Western Oregon University students and staff past and present. Rest In Peace Dr. H.

❤️ Katie Hein (Torland) #32

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Bob loved his children. He never missed an opportunity to tell me about his son’s prowess with computers.