Mt. Pleasant lost one of its best Monday when Bob Lippert died at age 85.
Lippert passed away at McLaren Central Michigan Hospital surrounded by family. He had been battling cancer for some time.
The Alma native taught at Mt. Pleasant High School from 1959 through 1993 before retiring. He started out as a math and drafting teacher before taking over to lead the Culinary Arts Program at the vocational center in 1969.
In a matter of years Lippert’s vocational program became one of the most-widely recognized and lauded in the state of Michigan and the country as a whole. His culinary program was showcased at the National Restaurant Association expo in Chicago and at the American Vocational Association’s national convention in Atlanta and was the first in state history to earn the Michigan Consumer Service of the Year Award.
Lippert, who was twice named ‘Vocational Teacher of the Year’ in the state of Michigan, said of the program back in the summer of 2013.
“I just liked cooking and I was always around the kitchen,” said Lippert, who served in the US Navy (1951-54) and was stationed in Korea during the Korean War. “Once I started teaching foods I really liked it. That first year we had two two-hour classes. From there it expanded and was recognized as one of the top five programs in the nation.”
Lippert initially started cooking in the late 1950s when he took a job at The Embers. He was a valued member of the kitchen staff at the restaurant up until it closed its doors about a decade ago.
In the summer of 2013 Lippert was honored for his lifetime of service in the culinary industry when he inducted into the American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame, becoming one of 95 chefs to be enshrined at the time. This honor was one of the crowning achievements of Lippert’s career in the culinary field.
During his time as an educator Lippert was also very active in prep athletics as he was the public relations coordinator for the White Pine Conference for decades.
Lippert was also inducted into the Mt. Pleasant Public School Educators Hall of Fame (1993); the Michigan Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (As a Friend to Basketball) (1999); the Mt. Pleasant Athletics Hall of Fame (1999) and the Mt. Pleasant Bowlers Association Hall of Fame (1998).
The Funeral Mass is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. at Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Don Henkes as celebrant. The burial will take place at Calvary Cemetary with a luncheon following at the Lincoln Reception Center at the Charles R. Lux Funeral Home.
Family will receive friends at Charles R. Lux Funeral home from 4-8 p.m. Thursday. The Vigil is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.