After meeting on a blind date, two University of Arizona students have spent an eye-opening 53-year marriage living in other countries, combating social injustices and supporting future generations of students.

As a chemical engineering student who worked his way through college, Scott Roberts ’69 didn’t have much time outside of school and work. Neither did Catherine Bontempo, soon to become Catherine Roberts, who was working by day and taking art classes at night.

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Luckily, the two crossed paths one night when their friends invited them along for a double date. Despite their jam-packed schedules, they formed a fast bond. Scott, who grew up in Tucson, says he never considered attending college anywhere but UArizona. Catherine recalls Scott’s parents, who were active in the social issues of the time, inviting groups of students over for home-cooked meals.

They were both eager to learn, not just from their classes, where they were soaking up knowledge about engineering and business, but also from the world around them, where they could learn how to combat social injustices. They attended campus visits by the beat poet Allen Ginsberg and by John Lewis, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and one of the “Big Six” group leaders behind the 1963 March on Washington. 

“It was quite a vibrant campus for social awareness,” Catherine says. “We tried to attend some of those events, and we learned a great deal about what was going on in the world at the time.”

Bound by an interest in social justice issues and in seeing the world, they balanced each other out well: Catherine describes herself as creative and active, while Scott is a focused and committed problem solver. Just before Scott’s graduation, the two married on campus in the Newman Center, holding a reception in Maricopa Hall.

”We had our reception in that lovely historic building, and our student friends came,” Catherine says.

The couple moved to California right away so Scott could begin his career in research at Shell Oil Company. After just a year, he decided he wanted more education, so he went on to earn a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the University of Washington in 1974. He then returned to Shell, where he worked 35 years around the United States and in several other countries before retiring in 2008.

They’ve lived a fascinating life together. When Scott was a graduate student, the two drove from Seattle to Costa Rica with their infant son to conduct field research. They left their experience abroad with an even deeper appreciation for service and the value of different perspectives. What followed was a lifetime spent working with people all over the world.

Whether working as the vice president of chemicals manufacturing in London, vice president of Northwest Europe Manufacturing in The Hague, or president of Shell Mexico in Mexico City, Scott says his UArizona education left him well prepared for his career. His hands-on engineering education taught him how to adapt to new challenges, even as engineering technologies, and his own career, grew in ways he never would have imagined in the 1960s.

“I think if you’re a kid growing up in Arizona, you’re so lucky to have a really fine university like the University of Arizona,” Scott says. “It’s way more affordable than most universities around the country, has excellent faculty and is, I think, doing some really interesting work in all kinds of different fields — not just chemical engineering but in space technology, materials science, mining and several other areas.”

Catherine describes her UArizona professors as “outstanding,” having equipped her with skills she’s applied throughout her life. An active philanthropist and volunteer, she has taught art to low-income communities and co-founded the Rutherford B H Yates Museum Inc., which provides exhibit space and educational programs related to African Diaspora history, preservation, architecture and more.

Now, the couple is dedicated to supporting a new generation of students. They’ve made a generous gift to support the Freshman Design Maker Space in the Engineering Student Design Center, a planned building for which fundraising is underway. Both believe it is critical for students to learn about hands-on engineering and the importance of collaboration, and they see the center as a key way to accomplish that.

“I think having a place that’s a relaxed setting where students can explore and create and design projects and share information is important,” Catherine says. “It helps them to know it’s really fun to come together and work in a diverse community of people from different ethnicities and cultures and religious backgrounds to work on solving one problem.”

It’s not the first time the couple has given back to their alma mater. To honor both their 50th wedding anniversary and 50 years since Scott’s graduation, the Robertses established a fund for UArizona chemical and environmental engineering students to gain on-campus research experience. Today, they support various organizations such as Amigos de las Américas, which offers volunteer experiences abroad for teenagers. The University of Washington College of Engineering honored Scott and Catherine with the Diamond Award for Distinguished Service in 2020, and the City of Scottsdale’s Pinnacle Peak Park named Scott its 2021 Volunteer of the Year. Through a lifetime of living in other countries and working with people from many backgrounds, the two have shared a strong foundation in their love for each other and formative years spent in Tucson.

 “The UA is kind of a gateway into so many possibilities,” Scott says.
 

 In 2020, I experienced my first significant loss when a close family member suddenly passed away from COVID-19 complications. I had never grieved before or been exposed to conversations about death and the trauma that follows. I had my family to lean on and find comfort in, but I was still confused, angry and grappling with the idea of someone being here one day and then gone the next. After this experience, I came to realize there is only one thing guaranteed in life, and that is death. 

Although the concept of death may feel scary to some, I believe we should not live our lives in fear of the inevitable. Exploring, processing and understanding concepts surrounding death and grieving can ensure we are prepared for what is to come. Other people can explore this topic, too, at the Arizona State Museum’s exhibit “Walking Each Other Home: Cultural Practices at End of Life,” running now through Feb. 25, 2023. The exhibit celebrates practices and traditions of preparing and planning for the end of life, grieving, memorializing and caregiving. Through interactive activities, videos and stories, visitors are encouraged to reflect on their personal relationship with death. 

Walking through the exhibit was tough for me at first. As I began reading the displays, I came across a panel titled “What is a good death?” The phrase “good death” was coined by French historian Philippe Ariès and has become a pillar of the hospice movement. It encompasses the idea that by practicing peacefulness, awareness and acceptance toward the end of our own lives or a loved one’s life, we can prepare for a “good death.” By preparing ourselves mentally and spiritually for the passing of our loved ones, we can participate in healthy grieving practices and focus on celebrating their lives. 

After reading this panel, I was mentally prepared to explore the rest of the exhibit.

I began by learning about the Tucson community’s cultural and religious traditions related to death and the importance of memorialization — even the art of tattoos as a form of remembrance. 

One panel that caught my eye was an LGBTQI display explaining how mourning can be especially challenging for members of the LGBTQI community because many experience discrimination from family members. This can lead to feelings of isolation and alienation during times of mourning. Raising awareness about end-of-life practices supports LGBTQI people in finding safe spaces for grieving and living through loss. 

As I walked to the back of the exhibit, I noticed a white-painted bicycle with flowers adorning its handlebars and wheels. These “ghost bikes” are public memorials placed near the locations of fatal bicycle-vehicle accidents as a reminder from the international cycling community of how vulnerable cyclists are. 

At the end of the exhibit, I learned about caregivers who provide end-of-life care, performing intimate rituals and helping people who are dying feel comfortable and secure during their last days of life. These caregivers are often underpaid and lacking in recognition for the difficult work they do. I have a new appreciation for the courage, patience and selflessness of these caregivers in ensuring peace for others.

The exhibit prompted self-reflection and helped me understand the importance of normalizing conversations about grief and death.

No matter our religion, ethnicity or race, we all experience grief at some point in our lives. It is important to accept this reality so we can come together and ensure that when the time comes, we all get home safely.

 Jack K. Lee wrote “Bear Down, Arizona,” the university’s rousing fight song, while on a flight from Tucson — where he’d interviewed for the position of Wildcat marching band director — to his home state of Ohio. Lee got the job, and in 2022 his song completed its seventh decade of near round-the-clock play. As we remember Lee, we also pay homage to John Byrd “Button” Salmon, a star student-athlete in the 1920s who provided the song’s signal phrase. In the hospital after an auto wreck outside Florence in 1926, quarterback Salmon sent a message to his teammates through then-football coach J.F. “Pop” McKale: “Tell them to bear down.” Salmon passed soon after, and Lee’s song enshrines both leaders in campus memory.