A note on Robert Redford’s passing (September 16, 2025)

Although I grew up in Southern California, it wasn’t near Hollywood. Nevertheless, when I heard of Robert Redford’s passing, I reflected on my personal memory of the famous actor and environmentalist. 

Some three decades ago, I was stationed by Friends of the River in our nation’s capital at “Camp Scootch,” 308 Constitution Avenue NE, a little more than a block from the U.S. Senate. I had a desk and a narrow but adequate bed on the third floor, and our California guest lobbyists occupied the second and third floors, while Scootch Pankonin, a well-connected Washington DC lobbyist for the Western River Outfitters Association and a member of American Rivers’ board of directors labored below in her dimly lit basement. 

While I worked to block Auburn dam, one of her projects that year was helping to arrange the Washington DC premier of Redford’s visual tour-de-force, A River Runs Through It. Of course, Scootch approached the matter with style and decided to arrive at the premier in the manner of all things Hollywood. So, dressed in my DC-lobbying best, and Scootch in one of her elegant gowns, we arrived in a sleek, black limousine, and I soon found myself being introduced to and shaking hands with Robert Redford. 

Of course, things happen like that every day. 

Eventually we settled down to watch the flick, which should have included the river (actually rivers) as one of the actors, although it does get some screen credits. Powerful flick. 

I confess that was the last time I saw Redford. Now both he and Scootch have passed, and memories are all I have. But they are good ones.