Your Neighbor: Bob McNutt

Neighborhood: Belleisle in Country Club East
Neighbor since: 2012

Bob McNutt lives his life in chapters.

It’s a convenient way for a man who likes to stay organized to plan for things.

Chapter three is now — retirement life in Lakewood Ranch with a home that backs up to water and a golf course and includes trips to the Ringling Museum and Florida Studio Theatre.

McNutt, 68, spent chapter one, which lasted more than 32 years, working in marketing and human resources for chemical giant DuPont until 1999.

Chapter two led McNutt to teach full-time at the University of Delaware, from 2001 to 2011, leading lectures on the evolution of retailing and variable pay, among others.

In chapter three, McNutt hopes all the chapters combine to tell a complete story, tales he can tell to his eight grandchildren, who live from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C., when they visit Lakewood Ranch.
— Josh Siegel

IN HIS OWN WORDS
On his teaching philosophy: “I am high-energy and passionate about what I do. It’s important to be interactive. I’m a strong believer in bringing current events into the classroom. I tell kids, ‘Follow your passion and don’t go for the money.’”

On the most memorable part of his teaching career: “I led five-week study abroad programs. One time, we went to Australia. I walked with the students across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was windy. We were tethered up, attached to a harness. It was a narrow walkway. Of course, you look down.”