20 replies to this topic

[Cheater]

Rick Jordan emailed a few minutes ago to inform me that Bob Rule, one of the seminal figures of the commercial slot racing industy and hobby, passed away this morning, after recent triple bypass surgery.

I knew he wouldn't live forever, as none of us will, but he seemed so vibrant and strong for his age that I thought he would be around for many years to come. We lived just a few miles apart and would sometimes have lunch, but Bob was always so busy (for example, he served 30 years as the sergeant-at-arms for the Rotary Club of Gwinnett County and was very active in that organization), as was I.

 

Bob was a member at Slotblog for over 17 years, having joined in September 2007.

Goodbye, old friend. I'm going to miss you.
 

[Noose]

Sad indeed. Knew Bob well. Mr. Duncan Yo-Yo.

[team burrito]

r.i.p. mr champion - you will be missed.

 

 

From the pages of the 1972 'Grundy Gazette.'

[Bill from NH]

Bob was an icon in the slot car industry and to a lesser degree the R/C car industry. I only recall dealing direct with him once. That was when he was selling Ray Gardiner's book about Team Champion racing and those involved on eBay. Bob may have been the last to be involved with Champion of Chamblee.

 

Bob, rest in peace.

[MG Brown]

Bob was a huge character in his day and often would perform amazing yo-yo tricks at the races he attended.

Godspeed, Bob!

[Steve Deiters]

Sad news.

 

[Steve Deiters]

Guide to the Bob Rule papers at the Smithsonian

[Noose]

Did this one way back in the day for Bob

 

[Eddie Fleming]

I am thankful to be one of the many young people influenced by Bob through the years. I will count knowing Bob as one of my blessings in life.

 

RIP, Bob.

[Eddie Fleming]

Bob had to be older than that. I looked around a little and can't find a DoB but he entered his first yo-yo contest in 1949 and was working for Duncan full time in '55.

[MSwiss]

That was the first thing I thought.

 

I bet he was 5-10 years older than that.

 

Possibly even more than 10.

[Cheater]

From a Facebook post by Bob's widow and daughter:

 

"It is with very heavy heart that we come together as a family and announce that the Legend, the ONE & ONLY Mr Yo-Yo passed away yesterday morning. He took pride in telling people that he never truly "worked" for a living since both his careers were a true passion that took him all over the world, enabling him to meet some of the coolest people & do the coolest things. His mottos were "He who dies with the most toys wins" and "The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys." He will be missed by SO many people.

 

Please join us for a Celebration of Life. If you have a great Bob story we would love for you to share with us - if you live too far away just sent it our way and will share!

 

November 10 - 2 pm

Bill Head Funeral Home

3088 Duluth Hwy

Duluth, GA 30096

 

As you know Dad was a huge supporter of dog rescue - in lieu of flowers could you consider a donation in his memory to Musical Charities? This nonprofit supports dog rescue through musical events. Your donation will benefit the animals affected by hurricane Helene. (venmo: Musical Charities; checks to 415 Bruce Rd, Douglasville, GA 30134)"

[zipper]

Bob Rule grew up in Detroit, MI, and began yo-yoing as a young boy in 1948. He entered his first yo-yo contest in 1949 and in 1952, began working part-time for Donald F. Duncan, Incorporated, managing yo-yo contests and demonstrations in the Detroit area. In 1955, he went to work full-time for Duncan as a professional yo-yo demonstrator. In this role, he traveled across the United States and to Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico demonstrating yo-yo tricks, managing yo-yo contests, and appearing on local television.

 

He entered his first contest in 1949 and at just 12-years-old, he won a Duncan Yo-Yo contest on a street corner. So maybe born 1936? Well, 2021 written on Slotblog: Facebook says he was 85 yesterday!

[FastRichard]

I met Bob via R/C racing in the early '80s. He was very generous with his help in getting R/C racing going in the Columbia, SC, area. We held a rwo-hour enduro and he sent the Bolink team to race with us. They ran away with the win but everyone who participated learned so much which helped us to get our club established in Columbia.

 

He was a true gentleman. Rest in peace, Bob.

 

Richard Sylvester

[Cheater]

He entered his first contest in 1949 and at just 12-years-old, he won a Duncan Yo-Yo contest on a street corner. So maybe born 1936? Well, 2021 written on Slotblog: Facebook says he was 85 yesterday!

Zipper,

In his Slotbog account, Bob entered his date of birth as June 12, 1946, and that's what I picked up.

Let's see what his obituary says when it gets posted to the funeral home's website. No date of birth is listed in Bob's Facebook page info.

 

Update: finally found Bob's correct birthdate buried in his Facebook account.

[Bill from NH]

I was surprised to find his first name isn't Robert, its Wagnrt. This source has his age as 88.

[Pablo]

At Peachtree City

 

[Kim Lander]

Pablo... That was the last time I saw Bob... he was a great part of this great hobby.

[Steve Deiters]

Sorry to hear of the passing of Bob.

 

I got to know him during my high school and college years when I worked at REH Distributing- wholesaler of slot racing products. This was during his Champion and Bo-Link years. He was great friends with the owner of REH Bob Haines and his family.

 

He would visit the distributorship often in those years. He was one of the very few people I met in my life who could make a total stranger feel like they had known each other for years. A rare talent them and even rarer now.

 

My thoughts are with his family which is the greatest legacy he could have left for all of us.

[Cheater]

Bob's obituary:

 

Robert 'Bob-Bo”' Mclemore Rule, AKA 'Mr. Yo-Yo,' age 88, peacefully took his final checkered flag on October 29, 2024. He will forever hold a special place in the hearts and memories of his family and friends.

 

Born on June 12, 1936 in Nashville, TN, he was the only child of the late Georgia 'Nana' Dulong and Robert Rule. It didn’t take long for Bob-Bo to start a life on the road that would become an epic adventure.

 

His journey started to take shape in 1942 when he moved to Detroit, MI, to start school. According to his in-progress book, “I Never Had an Honest Job In My Life,” his working career started at the age of six working a paper route with his buddy, even though it is still unclear if he was ever paid.

 

Throwing papers had to take a back seat in 1948 when the true Bob-Bo legacy began – the day he picked up his first yo-yo. What started as an after-school 'babysitter/toy' gave birth to one of the greatest yo-yo players ever. After a year of practice, he entered his first contest. I don’t think he ever shared with us the outcome of the contest, but he always told us if we wanted something bad enough, it was in our hands. 1952 was the start of his career with Duncan Yo-Yos. They brought him on part-time until 1955 when he was promoted to a traveling professional Yo-Yo Man – a badge of honor only second to being a father and loving husband, but we are not there in his story yet!

 

Pops traveled the southeast for the next seven years, going town to town, school to school, setting up yo-yo contests. Most of the time he was run off by 'officials' because the Yo-Yo Man was looked down upon in those times. He described it like a drug dealer today.

 

September of 1962 would start the next chapter of his story… what he thought was a normal trip to Kentucky. He walked into Fairmeade Pharmacy to meet his contact for the next contest. It was then that he first saw Kathy Morris, an insurance saleswoman during the day and a pharmacy lunch counter worker on the weekends. In what could only be described as a fairytale story, Bob-Bo and Kathy were married six weeks later.

 

In 1965, the chance of an 'off-the-road' job settled the two in Atlanta, GA. At this time, Bob-Bo was the last professional player for Duncan. While the job offer turned out not to be real, they stayed in the Atlanta area and put down roots. Not being one to sit idle (yep, you guessed it), he walked into a slot car track on the south side of Atlanta and asked for a job… beginning the next chapter of “I Never Had an Honest Job In My Life.” This job led him to open Model Car Speedway closer to home, which caught the attention of a local slot car manufacturer, Champion Slot Racing Products. The slot car chapter was kind of short-lived but was incredibly important because of the friendships made and in July of 1967 the first little Rule, Kim (Rule) Pritchard was born.

 

The next chapter of the story includes BoLINK R/C Cars, and the seond bundle of joy, Steve Rule. I’m pretty sure that most know how it goes from here… BoLINK became one of the 'big five' R/C companies through the '80s. We lost Mom (Kathy) to her fight with cancer in ‘88 and Bob-Bo became Mr. Mom to a college senior and a know-it-all momma’s boy. A long friendship with Billy and Joy Porter grew and they became a true part of the family and their daughter, Cheri (Porter) Prall, became our sister.

 

Along the way, there were many other accomplishments including desert/off-road racing, 30+ years with the Gwinnett Rotary Club serving as the executive secretary, being included in the Smithsonian (Mr. Yo-Yo), countless TV appearances, including his favorites, The Smothers Brothers Show, being a member of the American Yo-Yo Association and Slot Car Racing Hall of Fame, plus the winner of the 2002 Harvey Lowe (Yo-Yo) Award, and introducing NASCAR to their first timing system.

 

There is one more chapter that can’t be left out, one of the most important ones. It started May 26, 1998. Where does that date fit into the Bob-Bo story? That was his first date with Elleda Marshall, Bob-Bo’s loving wife for the last 25 years.

 

This may not be a normal obituary, but Bob-Bo did not live a normal life... he lived an extraordinary life full of adventure. Bob-Bo… Bob Rule… will be remembered as the greatest father, husband, friend, and Yo-Yo Man!

 

Bob is survived by his wife, Elleda (Marshall) Rule; his daughters Kim (Charlie) Pritchard, Cheri (Brian) Prall; son Steve (Amy) Rule; daughter LeeAnne (Cris) Crapo; grandchildren Tyler Prall, Kiersten (Alex) Brown, Samantha (Daniel) Hetherington, Michaela (Tim) Jefferson, Chaz Pritchard, Kyle Rule, Rachel Maxwell, Connor Crapo, Owen Crapo; and great grandchildren McKenna Brown, and Baby Jefferson (May 2025); rescue pup Big Boy.

 

In lieu of flowers, please help us with one of Bob’s biggest passions, rescue dogs. Please make a donation to Musical Charities. This nonprofit supports dog rescues through music events. Your donations will benefit the animals affected by hurricane Helene.

Venmo - @musicalcharities.org

Website - www.musicalcharities.org

Checks - Musical Charities, 425 Bruce Road, Douglasville, GA 30134.

[Chris Barnes]

I met Bob Rule in 1975 at Champion Slot Car Products. I was in college and would go by Champion to see what was going on in the hobby.

 

He made a huge impression on my slot car racing. He had a three-lane slot track in his basement. He invited me to come race with him, Ray Gardner, Bob Cozine, Bill Temple, and others. The track was very difficult and I would come off much more than the others. The impression he made on me was – when I came off and someone put my car back on, I was to say thank you! That wasn't just said, it must be done. You must thank someone for putting your car back on when you drove it out of the slot. I will never forget that in my racing.

 

I saw Pablo showed a picture of himself and Bob. That was taken when I talked Bob into coming to a Bob Cozine Memorial Race. Bob was gracious to show up and do a little demo of his yo-yo expertise.

 

I will miss him.