Bob Roberts, photographer, business owner, bluegrass musician, and veteran, has died at 80

Bob Roberts, 80, of Philadelphia, photographer, longtime owner of H. Armstrong Roberts stock photography company, bluegrass musician, sharpshooter, historical reenactor, and veteran, died Saturday, Sept. 23, of heart disease at his home in West Philadelphia.

The eclectic Mr. Roberts became the owner of H. Armstrong Roberts on Locust Street in West Philadelphia after the death of his father in 1979, and he oversaw the photo library’s evolution from paper catalogs and black-and-white images to color pictures, and analog and digital storage and distribution technology.

He grew the collection to more than 500,000 of what he called “illustrative storytelling photographs,” and his website offers online clients access to “that special vintage photograph which will surely serve your special purpose or project.” His constant refrain was that there are no new stories to be told, only new photos to enhance old tales.

He focused the company’s promotional campaigns on its historical and archival photos, and sold them to publications of all kinds, and firms that made greeting cards, calendars, and other items that require photographs. He was past president and executive board member of the Picture Agency Council of America, now the Digital Media Licensing Association, and received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

“He was a very smart guy,” said his wife, Roberta Groves. “His brain was always moving.”

A college friend introduced Mr. Roberts to the banjo in the mid-1960s, and he was quickly captivated. He added the fiddle to his musical repertoire a bit later, organized Capt. Bob’s Tuesday Night Band, and played at folk festivals and local events, and in clubs along the East Coast during the 1970s.

The band featured a diverse group of musicians who liked bluegrass and old-time country music, and the gregarious Mr. Roberts was always open to pickin’ and strummin’ with younger players on the way up. His wife said he kept more than 7,000 bluegrass songs on his iPhone.

He became interested in guns as a young man and collected antique firearms, and took part in Revolutionary War and Civil War reenactments in Germantown, Gettysburg, and elsewhere. He shot competitively with the North-South Skirmish Association, and the Delaware County Field and Stream Association. He even constructed his own long rifles.

He joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Johns Hopkins University, went into the Army after college in the late 1960s, and earned a bronze star as a first lieutenant for his service in Korea and Vietnam. He was also a captain in the Pennsylvania National Guard.

“He was so intelligent that he would read a book about doing something and then he would go and do it,” his wife said. Longtime friend Bill Morton said: “Bob was a unique and interesting man.”

Howard Armstrong Roberts III was born Oct. 19, 1942, in Philadelphia. His father, H. Armstrong Roberts Jr., owned H. Armstrong Roberts Inc., the stock photo library Mr. Roberts’ grandfather started in Philadelphia in 1920.

Mr. Roberts and his family moved to Springfield, Delaware County, when he was 10. He joined the Boy Scouts and became interested in guns at a local shooting club.

He graduated from Springfield High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Johns Hopkins. After he left the Army, he took photos and worked at his father’s stock library on Locust Street.

He met his wife in the early 1970s when she joined the family business. They became a couple 20 years ago and married in 2021.

Mr. Roberts was introspective, thoughtful, and a good listener. He often tailored his personal advice to each individual friend. He enjoyed woodworking and “was interested in anything in which you take a tool and make something,” his wife said.

He preferred to be called Bob instead of Howard and was an avid reader of history, nonfiction, biographies, and novels. “There was no pinning him down to type,” Morton said.

He and Morton often talked late into the night about the Civil War, Vietnam War, current events, and other topics they had in common. “I consider time spent in his company as some of the most valuable in my life,” Morton said.

Mr. Roberts’ wife said: “He was the kindest man I ever met.”

In addition to his wife, Mr. Roberts is survived by two sisters, a brother, and other relatives.

A graveside service is to be at 10:45 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 26, at Washington Crossing National Cemetery, 830 Highland Rd., Newtown, Pa. 18940.

Donations in his name may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, Box 758516, Topeka, Kan. 66675.