Robert D. (“Bob”) Tisinger
One of Our Founders
Bob Tisinger was born in 1908. He was the last of nine children.
In elementary school, he was taught in a one-room community schoolhouse by his older sister. Later he attended elementary school in the small town of Bowdon, Georgia. He rode a horse to and from school and often said that his "first school bus had four legs." His secondary education continued at the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School in Carrollton, Georgia. The motto of the school was, "To Learn By Doing." "Doing" for Bob included helping to raise food that helped supply the cafeteria.
As was the case with all his siblings, some form of higher education was given; his coincided with the Great Depression. During that time, while working at the Southern Railroad, he attended night school—first at Georgia Tech, and then at the Atlanta Law School.
In 1932 he returned to the family farm. The Depression-era economy was such that there was not enough business to sustain both he and Harvey in the practice of law. He farmed for a year before joining his brother in the practice in 1933.
Having been raised on the farm, however, farming was in his blood and he continued to manage the family farm, as well as practice law, until his death in 1991.
Paying Rent For Your Time On Earth
Bob Tisinger lived out one of his favorite sayings, "We ought to pay rent for our time on Earth." While engaged in a very active practice of law, he paid that rent by being a major player in bringing electricity to rural Georgia, establishing a medical center, and actively promoting infrastructure and practices to promote the conservation of soil and water.
The story of his commitment to these issues may be best told through quotes from others in the local newspaper, The Times-Georgian following his death in 1991: