Dr. Robert Deyo Leland, Former Principal

Dr. Robert Deyo Leland, Former Principal

When Bob Leland retired as the principal of Burbank High School, he continued his lifelong dedication to youth by acting as a child advocate in the courts. No one who knew Dr. Leland was surprised. Few people worked harder at their jobs than Bob Leland. He presided over Burbank High School and its then new continuation school throughout the 1960s.

He watched his staff form a chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, his students become fans of the Beatles, an ever-increasing list of Burbank graduates fall in Vietnam, and the kids of Burbank reject small town conservatism to become flower children. Somehow through his sincerity and sense of fair play, Bob Leland kept his school afloat. Dr. Leland died on the 22nd of December 2008. He was proceeded in death by his wife Pearl Leland, retired professor of nursing from Los Angeles Valley College. Bob was a good man.

Obit from the Desert Sun, December 2008

Robert Deyo Leland was born June 30, 1919 in Albion, Mich. He served in the Army's horse mounted 7th Calvary. He also trained at Camp Young in the Southern California desert with General George Patton. He was in the service from 1941 to 1945 and was injured in battle in the Pacific.

While stationed in San Luis Obispo at Camp Roberts in 1942, he met Pearl Macomber and married her two months later. They were married for 65 years until Pearl's death. They had three children, Scott Leland, Barbara Bradham and Linda Edgar; five grandchildren, Rena, Kristin, Erin, Shannon and Wesley and five great grandchildren, Tait, Tomas, Katherine, John and Kai.

After his life changing experience during the war, he saw that the future of our country would depend on Education. He devoted his working life to the education of young people. He started his career as a Teacher with the Burbank Unified School District and retired in 1981 as the Principal of Burbank High School.

He earned his BA and Masters degrees at UCLA and his PHD at USC. He was Burbank Young Man of the Year and was very involved with the YMCA. He was president of the Burbank Rotary. He was foreman of the Los Angeles Grand Jury, 1988-1989.

He loved the ocean and they purchased a home in San Clemente, Calif. They moved to Palm Desert in 1992. He volunteered at the College of the Desert Library and the Coachella Valley Historical Society.

He died at the age of 89, Dec. 22, 2008 from the complications of Parkinson's disease with loving family all around him. He loved life and would not let anything get in the way of living life large. His outlook on life was positive, progressive, happy and full of interest in others and the whole world around him. A celebration of his life will be held on Sat., Feb. 28, 2009 in Palm Desert.