“Mayor Bolen was such an incredible man who lived a full life. He has positively impacted so many in the City of Fort Worth and here at TCU, said Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. “His vision for the area, and his advice have been invaluable. I think the world of him and will miss him dearly.”

Mayor Robert (Bob) Bolen grew up in Fort Worth and Shreveport, La., where he attended public schools. Following a year at Texas A&M University, he entered the U.S. Navy and served as a gunnery officer on the U.S.S. Iowa until his discharge in 1946. He then returned to college at Texas A&M, where he earned a degree in business administration in 1948. Bolen entered the Fort Worth business world in 1952, where he was founder and CEO of Bolen Enterprises. He eventually had bike shops and 20 Hallmark card shops in the DFW and San Antonio areas.

Bolen was elected to the Fort Worth City Council in 1978, and in a special election in 1982 was elected mayor, replacing the late Mayor Woodie Woods. Bolen’s tenure as mayor (January 1982 – May 1991) was noted for his leadership and ability to collaborate with corporate executives and public officials on transformative projects. He also was the city’s driving force behind the creation of Fort Worth Alliance Airport and the 17,000-acre AllianceTexas development that surrounds it, a project that has received national recognition as a model for public-private partnership.

Mayor Bolen was a leading figure in the development of local and regional strategies for his community, and took a lead role in an ambitious strategic planning process for the greater Fort Worth area, involving virtually every aspect of public and private sector activity. He was instrumental in establishing the Fort Worth Transportation Authority while a council member, and he served as chairman of the 17-county Regional Transportation Authority as well as the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Bolen also played a lead role in the award of the city's first cable franchise and was a key member of a special National League of Cities (NLC) task force that helped develop cable TV legislation enacted by Congress.

As mayor, Bolen led efforts to redevelop downtown in partnership with the late Charles Tandy, the Bass Family and the Hunt Family of Dallas. Projects included the Tandy Center, Sundance Square and the old Hotel Texas/General Worth Square. Bolen also helped establish the first Public Improvement District (PID) downtown as well as Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.

Mayor Bolen was a leader in developing cooperative efforts in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. He has worked on numerous joint projects with neighboring jurisdictions, including a high technology education task force for the region, the successful atomic supercollider bid by the Dallas-Fort Worth area, a robotics center, a U.S. Treasury printing and engraving center and the acquisition of the Rock Island Railroad right-of-way between Fort Worth and Dallas, which now serves as the major rail for the Trinity Rail Express.

Mayor Bolen chaired the NLC's Transportation and Communications Policy Committee in 1985 after serving a year as vice chairman. He was elected to the NLC Board of Directors at the 1985 Congress of Cities, and president in 1990. Bolen was elected president of the Texas Municipal League in 1987.

Another highlight of Mayor Bolen’s tenure was the establishment of the first Fort Worth Sister City of Reggio Emilia, Italy, followed two years later with Sister City relationships with Trier, Germany, and Nagaoka, Japan. Bolen served as the chairman of the Citizens Committee on Fort Worth’s Future, and sat on the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and the TXU Advisory Board, among other organizations.

Bolen joined the TCU staff as senior advisor to the Chancellor in 1991, and served as a visiting lecturer and advisor to the Dean of the M.J. Neeley School of Business. Bolen received the TCU Royal Purple Award in 1992 and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Texas A&M in 1998. Mayor Bolen holds honorary doctorates from TCU, the University of North Texas and Texas Wesleyan University.

Mayor Bolen continued his lifelong devotion to education and to providing opportunities for young people. He was passionate about helping people and served as a mentor to generations of business executives, public officials, friends and students. Bolen’s lifelong motto was “Leave a place better than you found it.”

Mayor Bolen and his wife, Fran, established scholarship funds at TCU and other institutions. They funded The Beatrice Bolen Piano Scholarship in 2002 in memory of his mother, which benefits piano performance majors. In addition, the R.E. “Bob” Bolen Scholarship was established in 1991 by the generosity of community leaders and friends to honor Bolen for his nine-and-one-half-year term as mayor of Fort Worth. Mayor Bolen was involved in selecting recipients each year, and 19 undergraduate and graduate business students have received this scholarship to date.

Mayor Bob Bolen was honored with the establishment of an endowed scholarship in his name in 2010, made possible by a gift from The Sarah & Ross Perot Jr. Foundation. The scholarship is awarded based on the leadership and community service that Mayor Bolen embodied throughout his life. Preference is given to applicants who are or have been in the military.