ROBERT (BOB) ROCKWELL

By Bob Mueller

To collectors of Steuben Glass from the Carder era, there is one other person we should not forget, even 100 years from now, and that is the late Bob Rockwell.

This gentleman was in a class by “himself.” He was the most polite person you could ever meet. He always had an important story to share with you about Mr. Carder or his glass, and yet I felt in the many times I was able to talk with him, he was just a very down to earth caring person telling this story only to me.

The first time I had the pleasure of meeting Bob was in the mid 1980’s. I had gone to Corning a few years before that with Herb and Gretchen Ripley, but Bob Rockwell was on his “small” ranch (as he once told me) in Colorado and not available.

I had already asked him by mail some questions about Steuben Glass, and he would answer my letters very promptly with some times good answers, and sometimes not so good.

So when I had that pleasure of meeting him in person it was one of the best times I ever had. He greeted me and introduced himself and told me to ask all the questions I wanted, because he had an open afternoon.

He took me case by case on the second floor of the new Rockwell Museum where the largest private Steuben Glass collection was at that time. As we would go case by case, Bob would point to an item and tell me the history of that piece and its importance. We did this for about two hours. When he asked me if I wanted to go see some pieces the Rockwell Museum had just received from Mr. Carder’s grandson, I went with him as happy as a lark.

Mr. Rockwell took me in the back where the offices were and started to pick pieces up and once again tell me a special story about each piece, what made it so special, and would hand it to me. Most of the pieces were great examples of decorated Aurenes, Cintra’s and Intarsia but one piece really caught my eye. I asked Mr. Rockwell about it and he picked it up and told me what it was which stunned me. It was a part of a Blue Cire Perdue chess set. Bob told the story of it and handed it to me and I just froze. This piece was so unique and so beautifully done. The color was vibrant. I just stood there for a few seconds not knowing what to do. Finally I gave the piece back to Mr. Rockwell and told him it was fabulous but since it was not mine I would rather he hold it.

Mr. Rockwell and his wife Hertha collected such a huge collection over the years and were so generous of that they created the “new” Rockwell Museum with their collection.

Mr. Rockwell was always there to answer anyone’s questions, to share his knowledge of the great work Mr. Carder did with Steuben Glass. He was the best.

Bob never thought of himself, he thought of his family and friends. They were always first and what he wanted to do was last. I look at Mr. Rockwell the way I looked at my grandfather, a very gentle person that always thought first of the other person and loved to be with all glass collectors.

He was and always will be a very great friend of mine, which I am eternally thankful for.

Bob Mueller
Osseo, MN
May 7, 2010