AN APPRECIATION: FAREWELL TO 'LIEUTENANT BOB'

BY MONICA FORRESTALL

Wednesday, Nov. 18 was the last day on the job for Tribeca's beloved Lt. Bob Smith. For 15 years, Smith has stood at the doorway of the New York Supreme Court Civil Branch building at 71 Thomas St. (with a total of 29 years working in the courts).

And so this was the final day that our son Maxwell Schuss, who’s walked by “Bob’s corner” every school day for the last eight-plus years, would be seeing him. Max had gotten up early to put the finishing touches on a goodbye card (Yankees themed). A little reminiscing, gratitude and a fond farewell were in order for our family on this morning.

For years, Smith had been part of the morning ritual of our son Max and many other neighborhood children as they walk to school and stop to say good morning. Max’s friendship with Bob goes back to when he was in kindergarten at P.S. 234.

“He’s had a big impact on kids in our neighborhood," said Max, "because school can be stressful but he’ll smile, says hello and it starts the day off right.”

So many times we’ve walked down Thomas Street to West Broadway on the block’s downward slope, and see ahead other children stopping to say hello.

Bob, nicknamed “Officer Bob,” is a tall, friendly man, always with a nice word for kids headed to school. “I always smile, and try to make them smile, even if they’re crying,” Bob said.

Bob, who has a Masters from Manhattan College and taught school for seven years, said he had “always greeted my kids with a big good morning at the start of each day, and taught them to do the same.” He kept that tradition going in Tribeca and helped to foster a small-town feeling, where everyone knows the name of the postman or the lady at the corner store. His co-workers dubbed him the "Mayor of Thomas Street" for his friendly greetings to passersby.

Bob was into sports, often asking kids for updates on their games. Every spring, Smith, a diehard Yankees fan, offered discounted baseball tickets for sale. The funds raised from ticket sales went to the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #35 Court Officers Memorial Lodge Scholarship Fund started in the name of three fellow officers lost on 9/11. “The way our community came together after Sept 11 is one of my best memories,” Smith said.

A family tradition grew from Bob’s ticket “outlet” for Max and his dad Kerry to go sit with Smith’s group of police officers watching Yankees games. One particularly memorable game took place on Sept. 22, 2013, when 19-year veteran Mariano Rivera retired. “It was awesome getting to see such a famous player’s last game,” Max remembered.

And Bob didn’t forget kids at the holidays. In December, he always had a big bag of wrapped gifts that he gave away to the kids every year. “That’s the Santa Claus in me coming out,” said Bob, laughing. “I was lucky to have had gifts from my grandparents and parents. I’ve been blessed, so I like to pass along that feeling, as best as I can. Not sure how many gifts I give away, but it takes from 15 to 20 hours for me to wrap them all.”

So on Bob's last day, Max and I met up with him with a happy retirement card that Max made and some autumn flowers (which Bob teared up over).

“I must have gotten to know over 100 kids real well over the years," Bob said. "And those that still go to school in the neighborhood all came by, dropping off pictures and cards." Amy and Serena made a cake with a shield on it, while Hayden gifted a hand-made ceramic mug.

What’s now ahead for Lt. Bob? “Time with my dad, who’s 84 and my grandson, John Paul who’s 3-and-a-half and comes to the Yankee games with me. I’m grooming him,” Bob said laughing. “He’s good at hitting line drives, but I gotta work on his fielding with him.”

We may not see Bob “on the corner” in the future. But come next year, guaranteed, we’ll see him at a ball game.