May 21, 1951 – January 23, 2016

Robert Henry (Bob) Ranson died the morning of January 23, 2016 surrounded by his family. Following a valiant, six-year fight against cancer, Bob is remembered as a brilliant, humorous and loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. He is survived by husband James K. Smith; sons Kyle Ranson-Walsh (Leah Rotkin-Ellman, daughter Ryan), Geoff Smith and Brendan Ranson-Walsh; sister Helen Bostock (Cindy Pokel); and Margaret Walsh (Kyle and Brendan).

Born to the late Remington Blauvelt Ranson and Frances Storminger Ranson on May 21, 1951 in White Plains, N.Y., Bob grew up in Hawthorne, N.Y. with his sister Helen and late brother George. A dreamer, tech-innovator and entrepreneur from birth, his bedroom became his workshop where he designed and built his own radio and quadrophonic speaker system.

Upon graduating from Westlake High School in 1969, where Bob was active on the swim team and in the marching band, he matriculated at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. There, he became an extraordinary leader, serving as President of the Sigma Chi Fraternity’s Zeta Upsilon chapter, Vice President of the Board of Visitors and an editor of the student newspaper, The Flat Hat. He graduated in 1973 having earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and communications.

Bob began his professional career as a local newspaper reporter and then a public relations consultant. In 1977, Emory University’s Goizueta Business School offered him a fellowship to pursue his Master of Business Administration degree and lead their public relations efforts. He accepted, moved to Atlanta, Ga. and, as part of completing his graduate degree program, co-founded Target Software, one of the earliest consumer spreadsheet programs. Target was sold to IBM in 1982, which led to Bob co-founding Chalkboard, Inc. Chalkboard pioneered the development of a consumer touch-sensitive tablet input device for personal computers that eventually became an important tool helping people with disabilities. 

Having been named one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Entrepreneurs of the Year,” Bob launched his own consulting firm in 1985, specializing in marketing, public relations and technology, that represented such high-profile clients as Northern Telecom (now Nortel) and Rolls Royce Aerospace. He also took on his first professorship as an adjunct faculty of business at his alma mater, Goizueta.

In 1987, Bob, his family and his company relocated to Reston, Va., a place he loved and made his home for over 28 years. He joined the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and served as the organization’s Vice President from 1993 to 1995. During that time, he authored his first book, Advertising Is a Waste of Money.

In the years that followed, Bob received awards and accolades for his work as Senior Vice President with public relations firms The Jefferson Group and Arnold Worldwide. For his campaign launching the Dulles Greenway, he was presented with the Public Relations Society of America’s Silver Anvil Award for excellence in community relations and business services. For American University’s Kogod School of Business, he designed a ‘web-centric’ model that helped the school achieve its first national ranking. 

Bob found his passion for higher education continuing his professorial work as adjunct faculty at Johns Hopkins University and then Kogod. In 2007, he began teaching as adjunct faculty with the University of Virginia’s (UVA) School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Four years later, he became the school’s Director of Regional Outreach with a focus on new program development. He proudly finished his career as the Director of Academic Outreach overseeing UVA’s Northern Virginia Center.

A modern renaissance man and quick-witted storyteller, Bob’s curiosities, knowledge and enthusiasm knew no bounds. He invested himself in abiding friendship and dedicated his life to creating loving family. Throughout the years, he offered a masterclass in resilience, dignity and optimism. Bob’s impact on so many is best summarized in his own words: “We must never forget that a tender touch, a gentle smile, an open mind can overcome our human frailties.”