For two decades before Bob Penny’s acting career took off, he was employed in a different profession. According to his AL.com obituary, he worked as a professor, teaching poetry and prose at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. While Penny did spend part of his early life in sweet home Alabama, he also lived in North Carolina before pursuing higher education and returning to Alabama to teach. He was honored with the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence on Classroom Teaching in 1974, and he penned an award-winning book of poetry titled “Prologues to Home.”
Penny left quite the impression on some of his students, who remembered him fondly on Facebook. “I took one of his classes and enjoyed it tremendously. Dr. Penny was a funny and kind instructor. He kept everyone interested in his class. Never a dull moment,” read one message. “He was such a fun and unique college professor to have for a class,” another person wrote. “He was my favorite professor during college.”
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Penny also performed on the stage, entertaining audiences at the Birmingham Festival Theatre in productions such as “The Odd Couple.” Theater board chairwoman Rhonda Erbrick told KARE 11 that he was a consummate professional who put his utmost effort into his performances, adding, “[He] is and was always an actor and a joy to be around.”
