Robert Peyton Dunnam

Robert Peyton Dunnam 1938 – 2019

Robert “Bob” Dunnam passed away on July 31, 2019 in Austin, Texas. He will be remembered for his kindness, sense of humor and enduring sense of curiosity.

The youngest son of Virginia Illig and Samuel Ellis Dunnam, Bob was born on March 18, 1938 in Houston, Texas, where he spent his early youth. His family moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1941 for his father's oil business, but soon returned to Houston, where he grew up with older brothers Sam and James Dunnam. He attended River Oaks Elementary School, Lanier Middle School and Lamar High School. While there, he was Ramal treasurer; vice president of his class; a member of both the track and basketball teams; in the National Honor Society; and was yearbook editor.

Bob attended Williams College for his undergraduate degree. During his college years, he took a year off for his “trip around the world.” During this cherished adventure, he traveled through Europe, Asia and Africa. Along the way, he appeared in the film “The World of Suzy Wong,” advocated for a Williams scholarship for his new Tibetan friend Tashi, and developed a love of cultures and diversity that he carried throughout his life. Bob returned to Williams to letter in track and graduate with a degree in History in 1961.  He was then selected to attend Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs on a Woodrow Wilson fellowship.

After attending Princeton, he went on to work at an insurance company in New York before moving to Austin to pursue a career as a real estate developer and broker, often working with his brother Sam. Their major developments included the Dobie Center, a 29-story residential and commercial tower just south of The University of Texas campus, and Northcross Mall in northwest Austin, which brought the San Antonio-based retailer Frost Brothers to Austin.

In Austin, Bob met and married Holly Martin, and they had a daughter, Charlotte Louise Dunnam. Their free spirits took them to Colorado to enjoy the seasons for a few years before settling in Arizona. A true Texan at heart, Bob eventually returned to Austin where he resided for the rest of his life.

Bob was regarded by all who knew him as a kind, fair and generous man with a playful sense of humor and compassionate spirit. He loved to dance, was known for his signature black-rimmed glasses, and immensely enjoyed a glass of fine red wine accompanied by good conversation. He was a devoted and adored father, uncle and brother-in-law who took great pleasure in watching the next generation come of age.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Sam and Virginia Dunnam of Houston, his brothers Sam and James Dunnam, and nephew Schreiner Dunnam. He is survived by his daughter Charlotte Dunnam; sister-in-law Valerie Dunnam; nephews Greig, Jeff and Russell Dunnam; and nieces Alicia Vincent and Virginia Lahourcade and their families.