Robert H. Hieber was the third president of the Guild, serving from 1959-63. His presidency came at the end of the Castle Hill Festival era and at the beginning of the National Festival era. When asked to share what he felt was his unique contribution to the art of handbell ringing, Bob listed “the formulation of area groupings as the AGEHR organization grew, the insistence on maintaining the spirit of sharing, and the perpetual absence of competition among bell groups.” Looking back over Bob’s term in office, Nancy Poore Tufts wrote in 1976 that Dr. Robert Hieber, the first of the line of professional church musicians to bear the torch, made tremendous early strides in setting up festivals and improving equipment and the quality of music. Bob served as organist at Peach Memorial Presbyterian Church in Clearwater, Florida, from 1968 until his retirement in 1987. After a short bout with cancer, he died at his home in Largo, Florida on May 31, 1992.
