“His life and what he’s done should be a model for other people in their lives.”
The reflection is just one observation of Dr. Robert R. “Dr. Bob” Zimmerman, a retired Waynesboro dentist who has been nominated to receive the Eisenhower Humanitarian Award. The first recipient was President Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States.
“Bob is an amazing individual very worthy of this recognition. He, like many people who do great things, gets embarrassed by recognition. He’s already told me that,” said Dr. Brad Hoch of Gettysburg, his son-in-law and a member of the Rotary Club of Gettysburg.
“We can’t all be president of the United States or provide dental care to the Third World, like Bob, who has been on 61 short-term mission trips. Each of us has amazing special gifts that could be used to help someone else.”
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg will present the award, which recognizes individuals for significant humanitarian service, at noon Monday, Feb. 2, in the Gettysburg Hotel.
A digital recording of Eisenhower accepting the award will be played at the luncheon. “He was an amazing president, head of the Allied armies that defeated the Nazis, head of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) … yet he believed this award for being a humanitarian was the award that he appreciated the most, and that’s included in his remarks.”
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg has presented the award annually since 2003 on the anniversary of the birth of Eisenhower, who lived in Gettysburg with his wife, Mamie, in retirement.
The cost to attend the luncheon is $19, and reservations are due Monday, Jan. 26, by emailing Hoch at: [email protected].
Those attending should arrive by 11:30 a.m.
Zimmerman will receive an original plaque designed and manufactured by sculptor Gary Casteel of Gettysburg, citations from the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives and Pennsylvania State Senate, a letter from Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of Eisenhower, and a Paul Harris Fellowship, which acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation, an international organization. The club also will present a $1,000 donation in Zimmerman’s name to the Rotary Foundation.
“A $250 donation from the club in his name will be donated to Safina Street Network,” according to Hoch. Zimmerman has taken numerous trips with Safina, which in Swahili means ark, a holistic outreach to vulnerable children and young people, with many coming from broken families.
About Zimmerman
“I’m embarrassed (to receive the award),” Zimmerman said. “The biggest reason is I don’t feel like I’ve made any sacrifice. I do the things I do because it brings me a lot of joy. There’s no greater joy in life than the moments I knew I was right where God wanted me and doing what he wanted me to do. I don’t live there (in God’s will), but I get to visit frequently here and in Africa.
Zimmerman and his wife, Linda, have five children and 16 grandchildren. A member of the Rotary Club of Waynesboro since 1984, he was nominated for the award by his daughter, Amy Zimmerman Hoch.
A graduate of Temple University School of Dentistry, Zimmerman opened his dental practice in Waynesboro in 1977, treating patients from both Franklin and Adams counties, and retired in 2024.
He provided free dental care on mission trips in Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Ukraine, Tanzania, India, Peru, Russia and Romania, many of which he personally organized and led.
In 1998, Zimmerman was one of the founders of a dental clinic in McConnellsburg for those unable to afford dental care. He has continued to volunteer his services there for the past 26 years.
After retiring in 2024, Zimmerman began providing free dental care to children enrolled in Head Start from centers around Adams County who are bused to Head Start’s Gettysburg facility for the care.
He has served on the Board of Manito Inc., now known as Folium, for more than 40 years. This is an intensive program for youth affected by adversity. He was president for four years and treasurer for 15 years.
Zimmerman has been a volunteer for the United Way for more than 20 years and has served as president and campaign chairman.
He was a member of the Waynesboro Board of Health for 16 years, serving 10 years as president.
Zimmerman served eight years on the board of directors of the Waynesboro Area YMCA in various roles and was chairman of a capital campaign.
A member of Evangelical Lutheran Church of Waynesboro, Zimmerman formerly was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Waynesboro. He has served as a high school and adult Sunday School teacher for more than 40 years.
He has served on the boards of youth baseball, soccer and wrestling organizations, was the chairman of a fund-raising campaign for a new youth soccer field and a capital campaign to improve the stadium at Waynesboro Area Senior High School.
Zimmerman served as capital campaign co-chair for Buttonwood Nature Center of Waynesboro and is a board member of The Waynesboro Theatre. He also has volunteered at the Franklin Country Migrant Clinic and as a mentor in the Waynesboro Area School District.
