Fisher’s Landing: Friends and family helped Robert Kimball Cassidy celebrate his 100th birthday at an open house July 12 at Emeritus in Fisher’s Landing. He was born July 13, 1914, in Grand Forks, N.D., and moved to Vancouver with his mother and sister in 1918.
Cassidy started school at Arnada Elementary in Vancouver when he was 12.
He delivered papers for The Columbian and his paper route had more than 200 customers.
Cassidy attended Vancouver High School, but dropped out of school in 1932 during the Great Depression, when he landed a job at the then-new Vancouver paper mill, located where the Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay now stands.
During World War II, Cassidy worked at the Vancouver shipyards. His job was checking new ships to be turned over to the U.S. Navy. Before and after World War II, he worked at new car dealerships in Vancouver doing body repair and painting automobiles, eventually becoming a service manager.
He started Cassidy Manufacturing Company, building golf carts, berry carts and gymnasium equipment. Cassidy sold the items in all 50 states.
He retired in 1984 and moved to Palm Springs, Calif., for 25 years, returning to Vancouver a few years ago.
