Community All-Stars: Meet Bob Drexler the 94-year-old volunteer at the Museum of Idaho

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – When you meet Bob, one of the first things you notice is a laugh that lights up the faces of everyone he meets. Bob is a volunteer at the Museum of Idaho. He's been helping out for the last 21 years, and you can tell how much he loves it. 

Bob Drexler said, “To me, it's just a good, good place to go to help do some good for the community".

At 94 years old Bob truly is a golden volunteer, not because of his age, but because of his life experiences, from his military service to his work as an engineer at the INL for over 40 years. He puts that knowledge to good use, answering questions and sharing memories.” 

Ashlee Perrenoud volunteer and visitor services coordinator for the Museum of Idaho told us, “You know, Bob has a really sincere way of telling his stories and relating with people, and he definitely has the ability to connect and bring a warmth that you know, people really enjoy and connect with.” 

Bob said, “The good memories I have are just meeting people, talking to them, answering questions that I can, and trying to get them to do more than just walk through.” 

Bob enjoys all of the exhibits, and he has stories about most of them. ”I had one sneak up on me when I was Elk hunting in the Boise forest,” said Bob referencing a mountain lion. 

But his favorite exhibit at the Museum of Idaho is the Mammoth. 

“The thing that gets a lot of attention is over here, where they have the machine where you can throw a spear at one of these mammoths and a lot of people, it's funny because a lot of the men missed and their wives hit.” 

Bob says volunteering is just something he loves doing, and it does as much for him as he does for others. Bob said, “I feel like I'm doing a little something that I can do, and I enjoy it.” 

Bob especially loves working with the groups of school kids that visit the museum, he is able to help answer their questions and tell them about his life. You can tell by their exuberance that they love the time they spend with him too. Congratulations to Bob for being this week's Community All-Star.