Rob Paul, RECIPIENT OF THE 2005 METTLE AWARD

NOMINATOR'S STATEMENT
Rob Paul, as his late wife observed, is not a lucky person. A victim of multiple sclerosis since his early thirties, a widowed father of two for the past decade, and most recently a homeowner on the wrong end of a falling tree, Rob has charged right past all of this. Accepting and remaking tragedy as though it was a workaday activity, his attitude is inspiration to those suffering from lesser setbacks.

Getting past multiple sclerosis at an early age was a defining period in a life that otherwise seemed routine-salesman, husband, father of two young children. His rapid decline in the early years of the disease has been halted with new drugs and hard work with his physical therapist and at the pool.

During those early years of decline, he lost his wife to a devastating cancer that cut short her life on her forty -second birthday, leaving children 10 and 13 years of age for him to bring up. But he rallied their focus and they pushed on through elementary and high school and now college. The eldest graduated from Wesleyan University last year and is happily working in New York City; the youngest, a highly-ranked competitive fencer, is in his junior year at Vassar College. Last fall, he won the campus essay contest.

Most recently Rob's house was partially destroyed by a large tree that came down in a wind storm. But he looked on it as an opportunity to update the affected rooms rather than as a disaster. For Rob, the bright side is the best side of any problem.

2008 The Mettle Award Recipient

2007 The Mettle Award Recipient

2006 The Mettle Award Recipient

2004 The Mettle Award Recipient