Bob Kallgren With the Lord

Robert “Bob” Carl Kallgren, 69, died at home May 21, 2011 after a courageous battle with cancer.   

The funeral will be held (Monday May 23 at 7:00 pm) in Shortess Chapel on the campus of Columbia International University with  viewing to be held one hour prior to the service.

Bob was born May 1, 1942 in New Haven, Connecticut to the late George Alfred and Maisie Mugford Kallgren.  After completing high school, he enlisted in the US Army, serving from 1960-63 in the Corp of Engineers as a heavy construction machine operator. He was assigned to the 175th Heavy Equipment Company located in Germany, with job assignments in Germany and Libya. 

He later earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Haven (CT), his masters degree from Columbia International University and his doctorate from the University of South Carolina.   

In 1972 Kallgren began what would be a 39 year career at CIU.  He held several positions over the years, all in administrative roles.   This led to professional opportunities in the field of biblical higher education.  Foremost, he became a volunteer consultant for the Association for Biblical Higher Education, by consulting and reviewing member institutions in accreditation issues. 

He invested effort in several community endeavors over the years.  He was a charter member of Columbia Christian Fellowship, perhaps the first church in Columbia to be truly inter-racial, where he served as an elder for about 25 years.  He served on the board of Bethel Bible Camp and was a member of Columbia Rotary Club for many years.  Another long-term relationship involved service on the board of Providence Home, a ministry that has been greatly used to strengthen the lives of men desiring to recover from addictions.  Kallgren also served for several years on the board of the Nehemiah Project, a community outreach program of Zion Temple Baptist Church.

He is survived by his wife, Judy Journigan Kallgren; his sons, Rob Kallgren, and Tim Kallgren (Rebecca); a sister, Sandra Fern Pelle, and two brothers, George Kallgren and Jonathan Kallgren. 

Bob will best be remembered for his love for people, his heart of compassion, his sense of humor, his skills in diplomacy, and his desire to find and follow God’s will.  He wished to express his appreciation to the staff at SC Oncology Associates, especially to Dr. Anne Hutchison and to her infusion staff.

Instead of flowers, memorial may be made to the Columbia International University Library at PO Box 3122 Columbia, SC 29230.