Robert Trump

Robert Trump died on Thursday in Cornwall, Lebanon County, but those who knew him as a Mars School Board member and president, track and field official or co-founder of the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School remember his love for children.

Trump and his wife, Louise, raised their family in the Mars Area School District, and Trump didn't take a passive role in the district, to say the least.

He served on the Mars School Board and was elected board president, and took an interest in his daughters' penchant for track and field while at Mars Area High School.

Clement Papik of Middlesex Township was a physical science and chemistry teacher at the school for 32 years before retiring in 1996.

Papik served as coach for many sports at Mars in his tenure and continued coaching track and field after his retirement.

Papik recalled Trump as an active track parent who took the steps to become a track and field official.

“He officiated all my meets, and he helped run a lot of the field events,” Papik said. “He was a guy who gave very generously of his time for the benefit of the kids.”

Trump was well-liked among not just the track team, but all the students with whom he came into contact.

“He was one of those guys who just liked to help kids and see that they got a fair shake and got all the opportunities they could, so they could be successful,” Papik said.

This is a preview of a full article that appeared in Wednesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read what members of the local community had to say about Trump.