When I found out on May 28 that 95-year-old Dr. Bob Geiger had passed away, a wave of sadness, nostalgia and gratitude washed over me. I was flooded with memories of a multi-talented man who, foremost, was dedicated to his medical profession, while possessing a passion for his family, writing, horses and sports – especially football.
I also felt regret for not having seen him in a decade, and not having another chance to thank him for his beliefs, his compassion, his foresight in helping to not only keep me out of harm’s way, but quite possibly saving my life.
It was in the spring of 1969 when, while running a middle-distance race for the Santa Rosa Junior College track and field team, I snapped a tendon in the top of my left calf that worked its way down and balled up next to my Achilles Tendon. My longtime family doctor referred me to Dr. Geiger for a specialist’s opinion, which turned into a life-altering experience and eventually a life-long friendship.
Upon examining my calf and foot, Dr. Geiger explained the injury in both medical and athletic terms. He not only presented me with two courses of treatment to choose from, but added a poignant question that would impact my future; he asked me what my feelings were about the Vietnam War.
After I gathered my thoughts about his impactful question, I tried at first to assimilate what it had to do with my injury. I then tried to answer with what I hoped was a calm response, but I couldn’t hold back my emotions on this painful subject. I told him that I was strongly against all war, and especially this one, which was maiming and killing my generation of young men, including the older brother of one of my good friends, someone I looked up to when he was a basketball star at St. Vincent High School in Petaluma.
After graduating, he was instantly drafted into the army and sent to Vietnam. Within a year he was killed in battle, and as a sophomore at St. Vincent I, along with the rest of the school, mourned his death in a memorial that is still etched in my mind.
Dr. Geiger then told me that he could do surgery to remove the torn tendon, or he could leave it balled up in my foot, which would still allow me to run and compete in sports, but I would have to endure constant swelling. He said it wouldn’t cause further damage, and that if I chose to forgo surgery he would document his findings in letters.
So as the war raged on, and I continued my multi-sports college career, it was a little over a week after graduating from San Francisco State University that I received my induction notice and had to get a physical prior to being drafted into United States military service.
It was a frightening time, because I had a lottery number of 88, and the U.S. was drafting almost everybody with a number of 90 or under. So I quickly went back to Dr. Geiger, and he gave me a half-dozen letters he had written over a three-year period, stating that I didn’t medically qualify for military service because of my impaired foot.
After pouring over his convincing letters, and putting me through two physicals, the Draft Board gave me a 4-F discharge rating. When I returned home, my mother said that Dr. Geiger had saved her son’s life, she quickly called and thanked him, and invited him to our house for an Italian celebratory dinner.
With his medical skills and athletic knowledge, Dr. Bob Geiger then helped guide me through my soccer career. And after I got married, and we had three daughters, my wife Margaret restarted her surgical technologist career and ended up working with Dr. Geiger in surgery for 20 years, while forming a lasting friendship.
At the same time, I became the Sonoma Index-Tribune Sports Editor and found myself on the Sonoma Valley High School football sidelines covering the Dragons, while Dr. Geiger was the team doctor. That rekindled our relationship, which turned into a strong friendship and to me, he was now simply Bob.
Before every football game he told me about different parts of his life. I was amazed by all he had accomplished, first in sports as a star quarterback in high school, then at the University of Redlands, and finally at the University of California, where he played for Cal’s famous coach Pappy Waldorf. He was also a high-level rugby player and horseman.
Bob was also a writer in many subjects, had written a published novel titled “Ask for Me Tomorrow,” and had been working on another novel he never finished. So we talked deeply about writing since I’ve written on many subjects myself.
Bob also had a close friendship with the legendary and highly provocative author Hunter S. Thompson, who lived for a while in Glen Ellen, was evicted following some outdoor gun play, and then moved into Bob’s Sonoma home. Bob was influential in the creation of Thompson’s two most famous books, “Hell’s Angels” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” in the latter of which Thompson wrote a cryptic dedication to Bob, and acknowledged his friendship and assistance.
There’s so much more I could write about Dr. Bob Geiger, but for now I will just say thanks –for saving me from the tragedy of war, and for sharing with me a life so well lived – while passing my special thoughts and memories to his wife Donna and all his children. Ciao Bob.
Members of the community are invited to a celebration of Geiger’s life at the El Dorado Hotel & Kitchen, 405 First Street West, on August 10, from 4 to 7 p.m., on what would have been Geiger’s 96th birthday. To RSVP, reach Donna Geiger at 707-738-3899.
For the complete story about Dr. Bob Geiger check out the obituary written by Sam Whiting for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Steven Serafini is the Sonoma Valley Sun Sports Editor
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