Dr. Robert F. Port died on February 27, 2026, from complications related to Parkinson’s disease.

 

A father, grandfather, scientist, and musician, Bob lived his 82 years with uninterrupted wonder and fascination. He never met a being, be it human, bird, bug, or beast, that he did not love unconditionally and want to understand. He was a man of striking intelligence and astonishing talents, yet no one ever felt diminished in his presence because he wanted nothing more than to share his inner world with you. Patient and justice-minded, he made every room he entered more fun, welcoming, and comfortable.

 

Born in Chicago, Illinois on June 24, 1943, Bob was the eldest of five brothers. His father, Frederick James Port, was a captain in the Army Ordnance Corp in WWII and became a prominent leader in the battery industry, especially for electric vehicles. His mother, Edith (Whitney) Port, was an accomplished violinist, performing on the radio in Chicago with her siblings. Bob spent his early years in rural Wisconsin, surrounded by nature. When he was 12, the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to his high school senior year, the family moved to Shaker Heights, where he first met Diane Kewley.

 

Bob entered Johns Hopkins University in 1961 but, by the end of his junior year, he was frustrated by his lack of educational purpose. He volunteered for the Peace Corps—only in existence for a few years at that time—and was assigned to work for the Kenyan agricultural department. While there, he became fluent in Swahili, a skill he retained his whole life. His many adventures included rhinoceros trapping for zoos and being gifted the pelt of a leopard that was harassing a village. He made friends easily and from all walks of life, but he was still lonely, and he especially missed Diane.

 

Bob and Diane’s high school friendship had gradually progressed to something deeper during their summers home from college. When he left for Kenya in 1965, she had just left  for Denmark where she worked as a software engineer for one year. Their love continued to blossom over the flimsy pages of blue aerogram letters and, in 1967 after his Peace Corp tour ended, they decided not only to get married, but to do so right there in Kenya.

 

Their wedding at the home of a friend was officiated by the Nairobi District Commissioner and included music by friends from India and dancing by a troop of Kikuyu performers. They honeymooned in India for 6 weeks while Bob took sitar lessons and Diane was an extra in a Bollywood film. For the rest of his life, a really good Indian meal would set Bob’s eyes to watering—not from the spice, but from the happy memories of those months and the way they set his life on a new and wonderful course.

 

Bob’s linguistics career began with an MS in linguistics at Columbia University and a PhD at the University of Connecticut. He was hired by Indiana University in 1976 and spent his academic career there, first as the phonetician in the Linguistics Department and later as a founding member of IU’s Cognitive Science Program. He published more than 90 research articles, spoke at many national and international conferences, directed or co-directed 20 PhD dissertations, and was on the PhD committees of over 50 students from Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Speech and Hearing, Psychology, and others. In 1992, Bob ran a conference on dynamics of cognition, in part to challenge the theories of language promoted by MIT linguists. The resulting book, Mind as Motion, is widely read. In 1995, he and Diane each completed 6-month sabbaticals at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) in Kyoto, Japan.

 

Bob’s academic research focused on the detail of timing in speech and how that was essential to how words were stored in memory. He showed that timing and rhythmic patterns differ in dialects and across languages. Bob argued that  language is a social institution that emerges and continuously adapts through the joint behavior of persons living in community over generations to advance the coordination of human activity. Though he became an Emeritus Professor in 2008, he continued to write and work with students for many more years.

 

Bob also believed in the power of community in his non-academic life. An early civil rights protester, he followed politics and supported environmental and social causes to his last days. Part of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington for 46 years, he was among the first members of the choir, taught many Sunday school classes, and served as church president. Through the church, he and Diane formed so many dear friends, including an especially tight-knit circle that vacationed together at a cabin every fall.

 

Bob also gathered community through his various hobbies and interests, the most important of which was music. Bob did not just play music; it exuded from his soul. His primary instruments were guitar, piano, and his highly expressive and versatile voice. He excelled also at mandolin, banjo, and hand drums. Name a song that he was even slightly familiar with and, after he let his memory of the tune filter through his musical mind, he would set his fingers to the keys and out would flow a delightful original arrangement. His band, Afro Hoosier International, played at bars and summer street festivals around Bloomington for 19 years, offering a dance-inducing mix of global music sung in over ten languages. The band was a temporary musical home to many IU foreign students, who enriched the playlist with their own cultural contributions.

 

Not surprisingly given his decision to join Peace Corp, Bob adored travel. He and Diane visited dozens of countries during their marriage, often adventuring with friends or family. Bob was fascinated by the beauty and uniqueness of other cultures, and especially their languages. He spent time learning the local language both before and during the trip, such that he could communicate surprisingly well. Those traveling with him were treated to fascinating descriptions of how a word or concept connected to its ancestral, proto languages. Before there was google, if an etymological question arose, someone would invariably say, “Let’s ask Bob.”

 

Bob was never seen without a field guide for something. He loved spiders. He loved mushrooms. He loved birds. He loved plants. An artist at heart, he dabbled in painting, was the family flower arranger, and had impeccable taste in colorful shirts. He and Diane both enjoyed cooking and entertaining, hosting innumerable dinners and parties at their home and taking part in gourmet dinner clubs.

 

Bob brought all of these wonderful talents and wide-ranging interests into his most important and cherished role of all: being a father and grandfather.  From the start, Bob and Diane prioritized having a family. Nicholas was born in 1968, and Juliet and Cindy followed in 1975. With two academics for parents, life could be chaotic, but Bob’s children cannot ever remember hearing a cross word from him. He had a reputation for running late or forgetting entirely to pick a kid up from activities, but he made up for those ADHD moments by being the parent who would chaperone you and your friends to whatever rock concert you had in mind. The Port’s place was the teen hangout house, and new young guests were often amazed to discover Bob in the kitchen at 2 am making fudge for everyone as he danced to Marley tunes. Bob’s kids just smiled and shrugged—they were used to this. 

 

As the children grew and developed their own careers, Bob was so proud of the adults they became. Nicholas is a professor at Indiana University, Cindy is a social worker, and Juliet was an environmental geologist.

 

Nicholas married Cynthia Lindman in 1993, and two grandchildren followed, Ada and Jasper Port. Bob was forever amazed by them and wanted to be involved in and support their activities. He loved teaching them about nature and reading them bedtime stories. Every fall he coordinated the family pumpkin carving.

 

Bob leaves behind his wife, Diane Kewley Port; his son, Nicholas; his daughter, Cindy; his grandchildren, Ada and Jasper; his daughter-in-law, Cynthia; his son-in-law Christopher Reading;  his brothers Thomas Port, David Port, Eric Port, and Anthony Port; and his half-siblings Hannah Port Leonard and Jason Port. His beloved daughter Juliet passed away on December 12, 2023.

 

We are so grateful to have been blessed by Bob’s presence in our lives. We will miss him dearly, but we will always find him again in the songs he sang and the stories he told and the things he taught us about how to live a life well.

 

The Celebration of Life service for Bob will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington Indiana on April 18, 2026 at 1:00 pm.