Robert F. Marshall

ST.PAUL

SEMI RETIRED

CLAIRE, TRENT, ASHLING, AND KYRA

RESIDING IN A GOLF COMMUNITY IN WINTER IN FLORIDA AND A BEACH COMMUNITY IN SUMMER IN REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE. SINCE 1964 I HAVE BEEN A COURT REPORTER IN PA. AND DELAWARE. I THEN GOT INTO THE MOTEL BUSINESS AND OWNED A NUMBER OF THEM AND I ALSO DEVELOPED PROPERTY. MY SON NOW HAS ONE OF THE MOTEL PROPERTIES NOW.

AS I WILL NOT BE ATTENDING THE 1960 REUNION, IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT I USE THIS FORUM TO ADD SOME INFO ABOUT THE LAST 50 YEARS. AFTER WORKING AS A FREELANCE REPORTER IN ST. LOUIS, I THEN MOVED TO PITTSBURGH IN 1964 AND BECAME AN OFFICIAL REPORTER FOR COMMON PLEAS COURT. AT THE SAME TIME AS WORKING IN THE COURT, I ALSO WITH OTHER REPORTERS DEVELOPED A FREELANCE BUSINESS ON THE SIDE, TAKING DEPOSITIONS AND VARIOUS HEARINGS. BACK IN THE LATE 60'S WE WORKED ABOUT EIGHT WEEKS ON WITH TWO WEEKS OFF TO TRANSCRIBE THE NECESSARY HEARINGS, NOT ALL CASES ARE TRANSCRIBED. BECAUSE I WORKED AT NIGHT TO TRANSCRIBE, I HAD MORE TIME TO TAKE DEPOSITIONS, ETC. I ALSO STARTED BUYING OLD HOUSES AND FIXING THEM UP. I ALSO OPENED A CANDY AND ICE CREAM SHOP ON THE SIDE. THAT ULTIMATELY FAILED BUT LEARNED SOME GOOD LESSONS.

IN 1972 I LEFT PITTSBURGH FOR A BETTER POSITION NEAR THE BEACH, WITH A PRIVATE SECRETARY, AND MORE MONEY AND LESS WORK. I BECAME THE OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER FOR SUPERIOR COURT, STATE OF DELAWARE, IN SUSSEX COUNTY. SUSSEX COUNTY IS THE COUNTY THAT REHOBOTH BEACH IS IN AND, OF COURSE, THE OCEAN.

WITHIN A MATTER OF TWO YEARS I WAS BUYING AND SELLING PARCELS OF LAND. BECAUSE I WAS THE ONLY REPORTER IN THE COURTHOUSE I NEW ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS. THE HEAD OF PLANNING AND ZONING BECAME A GOOD FRIEND AND TOLD ME TO GO OUT AND BUY SOME LAND AND HE WOULD GET ME FIXED UP WITH A SURVEYOR THAT WORKED FOR THE STATE AND I COULD SELL FIVE AND TEN ACRE PARCELS. I DID THIS OVER AND OVER IN KENT AND SUSSEX COUNTIES. BECAUSE THIS WAS ALL ORDINARY INCOME, MY CPA ADVISED GETTING SOME PROPERTY THAT I COULD DEPRECIATE TO SAVE SOME TAXES.

I BOUGHT A 36 UNIT APARTMENT COMPLEX. DID NOT LIKE IT VERY MUCH BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH TENANTS ON A MORE PERMANENT BASIS, PLUS YOU HAD THE LAND-LORD TENANT ACT IN DELAWARE, WHICH WAS SLANTED TOWARD THE TENANT. I SOLD FOR A PROFIT AND THEN BUILT MY FIRST MOTEL, A 16 UNIT IN THE OCEAN BLOCK.

MY JUDGE GOT ELEVATED TO THE SUPREME COURT OF DELAWARE AND I GOT ANOTHER JUDGE WHO WANTED ME TO STAY AROUND THE COURTHOUSE EVEN IF THERE WASN'T A CASE. I QUIT AND OPENED UP MARSHALL REPORTING SERVICE. I THEN REPORTED DEPOSITIONS, THE PUBLC SERVICE COMMISSION, DEPT. OF NATURAL RESOURCES, ETC. I THEN HIRED TWO OTHER REPORTERS TO PICK UP THE SLACK WHEN I COULD NOT BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE.

MY WIFE AND KIDS WORKED THE MOTEL WHILE I WAS BUSY WITH REPORTING. I BOUGHT ANOTHER MOTEL AND SOLD THE REPORTING BUSINESS ULTIMATELY. I THEN PARTNERED WITH A WEALTHY MAN WHO WAS INTO MANY DIFFERENT BUSINESSES. HE WANTED TO GET INTO MOTELS AND HE WANTED A PARTNER THAT NEW THE BUSINESS AND HE WAS ALREADY HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL WITH MANY CONTACTS. WE THEN WENT ON TO GET QUITE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROPERTIES. WE ARE STILL GOOD FRIENDS.

EVENTUALLY, UPON THE DEATH OF MY FATHER, I TOOK THE ADVICE HE HAD GIVEN ME BEFORE HIS DEATH AND SOLD ALL THE PROPERTIES TO MY PARTNER AND KEPT ONE, THE ATLANTIC OCEANSIDE MOTEL. MY DAD, HAVING SOLD EGGS DOOR TO DOOR, NEVER HAD A VACATION. HE SAID WITH ALL THE MONEY YOU HAVE GO SEE THE WORLD. I GOT A MANAGER AND BOUGHT A PLACE IN FLORIDA.

I TOURED EUROPE FOR A MONTH. CONTINUED TO VACATION; NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA, CRUISES, ETC. ULTIMATELY THE MANAGER TURNED BAD AND I HAD TO GO BACK TO WORK. MY SON GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE AND WENT TO WORK FOR ME. WE BUILT THE TOWNHOUSES AND APARTMENTS.

I ULTIMATELY SOLD EVERYTHING TO MY SON AND RETIRED FOR GOOD. I FELT HE HAD HIS OWN IDEAS AND WANTED TO DO THINGS THE WAY HE WANTED IT DONE. HE NOW HAS A HOME IN FLORIDA AND DELAWARE.

I HAVE LEFT OUT A LOT OF DEVELOPING THAT I DID DO THROUGH THE YEARS, BUT I BELIEVE THAT I GOT THE POINT ACROSS. PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN BUSINESS BUT I DID HAVE SOME GREAT TIMES WITHOUT THE CONCERN OF BUSINESS.

SO, IF ANYONE GETS MY WAY, GIVE ME A CALL. IT WOULD BE A PLEASURE SEEING SOME OLD CLASSMATES.

I ATTENTED THE UNIV. OF MISSOURI FOR A YEAR AND A HALF AND THEN WENT ON TO COURT REPORTING SCHOOL. ULTIMATELY RECEIVING THE NATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF MERIT FOR WRITING SHORTHAND AT OVER 260 W.P.M. WITH OVER 95% ACCURACY.