Celebrating Community Activist Bob Mickle

Our friend and neighbor Robert Mickle, a passionate and tireless voice for the people of Des Moines, passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer. During his 43 years in Des Moines, Mickle, 84, was a strong community activist, first launching the Central Iowa Regional Planning Commission in 1968 and then serving in numerous city positions and volunteer roles.

He was planning director for the city of Des Moines from 1972 to 1982 and a private consultant on urban planning issues for the city and its suburbs until 1986. After "retiring" from city planning, Mickle continued to work as an avid volunteer. He most recently served as a board member of the Sherman Hill Neighborhood Association, president of Des Moines Neighbors and a planning consultant for the Iowa Council for International Understanding (ICIU) and the state in a joint cultural, government and small business exchange program between Des Moines and Cherkasy, Ukraine.

As the original director of the Neighborhood Investment Corp., Mickle helped develop and preserve the Sherman Hill and East Village districts. The Robert W. Mickle Neighborhood Resource Center in Sherman Hill was named in his honor.

According to an article on the Sherman Hill Association's Web site, in an acceptance speech after receiving the lifetime achievement award at ICIU's 30th anniversary dinner, Mickle said, "The most important lesson I've learned in life is that you must live up to your potential; always strive for excellence. And the second most important lesson is that you must give back and give generously."

Mickle grew up in Boone during the Great Depression and served in World War II as a Navy gunner. After the war, he moved his family to New York, where he owned a dairy farm and worked as a private planning consultant for 25 years before returning to Des Moines.He is survived by his wife, Nelda, and numerous family members.

A funeral for family only will take place tomorrow in Boone. A community celebration will take place at the Mickle Center in Des Moines at a later date. A blog will be live later this afternoon for people to post comments and pictures; a link will be available at www.dmneighbors.org.