Robert Waldmire (April 19, 1945 – December 16, 2009) was an American artist andcartographer who is well known for his artwork ofU.S. Route 66, including whimsicalmaps of theMother Road and its human and natural ecology.[1] Being the son of Ed Waldmire Jr., he is often associated with theCozy Dog Drive In restaurant inSpringfield, Illinois (onU.S. Route 66), the elder Waldmire (along with his friend Don Strand) having created the Cozy Dog.
Waldmire was born inSt. Louis, Missouri and had a brother, Buz Waldmire. His career as a professional artist began during his student days atSouthern Illinois University. He returned home to draft a "bird's-eye-view" poster of his hometown; merchants paid to include their businesses in the posters, which he could then sell in the merchant's place of business at a profit. He extended the idea to 34 cities, then turned his attentions to the promotion of historic U.S. Route 66.[2]
Waldmire was a well-knownsnowbird, spending his winter months inArizona'sChiricahua Mountains in a self-sufficient home of his own design. During the summer, he travelled the country, but based himself in his native CentralIllinois, living in a convertedChevroletschool bus near Springfield.
Waldmire was an ethicalvegetarian.[3]
In 1992, Bob Waldmire re-opened theHackberry General Store in theghost town ofHackberry, Arizona as a Route 66tourism information post andsouvenir shop.[4] The 1934 store, originally the Northside Grocery[5] and Conoco station, had been closed and vacant since 1978[6] afterInterstate 40 in Arizona bypassed the town (on66) and left it stranded fifteen miles away from the very different route taken byI-40.
Waldmire sold the store to John and Kerry Pritchard in 1998[7] due to local disputes regarding the environmental and aesthetic impact ofquarries removing local stone for use inlandscaping.[8]
In 2004, Bob Waldmire earned theNational Historic Route 66 Federation's John Steinbeck Award for his contributions to the preservation of Route 66.[2]
One of Waldmire's modified vehicles, an orange 1972Volkswagen Microbus, was the inspiration for the character "Fillmore" from the 2006 animated motion pictureCars.[9]Pixar abandoned a proposal to name the character "Waldmire" as Waldmire was unwilling to sell marketing rights toDisney for a series of toys which would appear inMcDonald'sHappy Meals.[3]
On November 22, 2009, "Bob's Last Art Show" was held at the Cozy Dog Drive-In.[10] On December 16, 2009, Waldmire died fromcancer[11] which had spread from his colon to his liver.[12] His ashes were returned to the earth at multiple sites, including his parents' gravesite in Mottarville Cemetery nearRochester, Illinois, bothU.S. Route 66 endpoints and other pre-selected US 66 locations including his longtimeArizona winter home.[13]
His official website, bobwaldmire.com, remains in operation and is currently being maintained by his brother Buz Waldmire.[14] His trademark van and bus are now displayed in theRoute 66 Hall of Fame and Museum inPontiac, Illinois.[15]
In an interview published by Jay Crim on Youtube in 2013, Robert Waldmire, details aspects of his life in relation to Route 66 through a series of questions. He described his involvement with Route 66, what he found most interesting, his role as an artist, and what he chooses to emphasize in his artwork.
Waldmire grew up on Route 66 but did not find a connection to it until he drove on the road from Arizona to Illinois in the fall of 1987. He took it as a detour after encountering a traffic-dense interstate and figured the frontage road would be less impacted. He found it fascinating to drive down a piece of 66 and started wondering how many pieces he could cover as he made his way to Illinois. As a travelling map-making artist, he thought of the idea to draw a map of old route 66 because he was inspired by his trip. This jump started his involvement with 66 as an artist which lined up with what he refers to as the “revival” of Route 66.
Waldmire had an initial exposure to Route 66 because his dad built his main restaurant on the south edge of Springfield which was close to 66. He recalls having fond memories of being excited to see unannounced busses pulling into the lot. He detailed the rush that would go on in the kitchen as they drew up drinks ahead of time, loaded the grill with hamburgers, and filled the fryers with racks of cozy dogs and baskets of French fries. Even as a child he was enticed to see exotic license plates from Oklahoma or Texas. After travelling west on a family vacation, he found a gravitation towards the south west. He started taking Route 66 throughout his travels from home to locations in the west. (1)
Waldmire detailed his nostalgia for Route 66 and expressed his appreciation for old items from the past that have not yet been destroyed or painted over. He self-identified as a preservationist and environmentalist who had a hard time comprehending modern progress. He would elaborate on this note by explaining his interest for preserving locations, species, and nature itself. Progress to him did not include developing and bulldozing over areas that have a rich history.
His road as an artist started as he made flyers for Route 66 and passed them out to neighboring businesses to promote the history. He met with people along the road who were trying to establish the historical significance of Route 66, which is what he refers to as the “revival.” He had his own version of restoration that he pursued throughout his travels on Route 66. His main concern was the preservation for nature which is why he enjoyed 66 since it was an experience of being one with nature. There was a sense of connection to this nature where people could stop and enjoy the location, rather than being on an interstate. (3)
In his artwork he has weaved nature and made it a point to include landscape and geological factors into his pieces. He made it a point to himself to include details of any history that he covered along with certain plants and animals that pertained to that location. Additionally, as his audience grew larger, his objective was to produce a diversification of cars that he was representing in his art on Route 66. He wanted to spread the message to those purchasing his art to stop and enjoy nature on the way from different points throughout 66. (4)
{{cite magazine}}:Cite magazine requires|magazine= (help){{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite magazine}}:Cite magazine requires|magazine= (help)1. Jay Crim. “Inverview: Bob Waldmire: Question 1”. Filmed [2013]. Youtube video, 3:45. Posted [April 2013].https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqCGnoUFdio
2. Jay Crim. “Inverview: Bob Waldmire: Question 2”. Filmed [2013]. Youtube video, 1:26. Posted [April 2013].https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4aULy0y_o0
3. Jay Crim. “Inverview: Bob Waldmire: Question 3”. Filmed [2013]. Youtube video, 9:09. Posted [April 2013].https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0Wntkdffvg
4. Jay Crim. “Inverview: Bob Waldmire: Question 5”. Filmed [2013]. Youtube video, 4:10. Posted [April 2013].https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvnlF9CCiz4&t=18s
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