The Robert J. Astheimer Memorial Foundation commemorates the legacy of Bob Astheimer and his perseverance in the face of the debilitating symptoms of a stroke at age 49 and a rare blood disorder – polycythemia vera – for the following 15 years.

Bob trained for and completed the 4.4-mile Great Chesapeake Bay Swim (GCBS) from 1990 to 2019 and he received numerous awards for his finish times.  In 2003, Bob suffered a stroke that resulted in paralysis on his right side.  As soon as he was able to get in the pool, Bob trained for and, despite his disability, completed the 2004 Bay Swim. 

Bob continued to participate in the event until 2019.  During the time that he participated in the swim Bob also contributed his time and expertise to the open-water swimming community as statistician for the GCBS, which allowed organizers to recognize swimmers who completed the swim multiple times. Bob was an inspiration to thousands of swimmers and swim event organizers and sponsors over the course of his 30-year engagement with the GCBS.

The RJA Foundation will continue Bob’s inspirational legacy by recognizing individuals who have overcome a physical, mental or emotional challenge to enable a personal achievement. Preference will be given to individuals who have made a contribution to family, community, or country, and to students who wish to use the award funds to pursue higher education or trade school. The Robert J. Astheimer Perseverance Awards are presented at the GCBS, which is held annually on the second Sunday in June in Stevensville, MD.

Award Nominations

Nominations should be no more than 1-2 pages and submitted as a MS Word or PDF file no later than May 15 of each year. At least one reference must be provided. Self-nominations will not be accepted.

Include the name, address, phone number, and email address of the the nominator, nominee, and reference; background on the nominee; and a description of the nominee’s achievement or contribution and the challenge that was overcome.

Nominations for the award should be submitted to JoAnn Milliken, Director, RJA Foundation at joann.milliken@gmail.com with “RJA Perseverance Award” in the subject line.