A fall in his home brought Arthur Boynton “Roby” Robson to Aspen Trace, a CarDon senior living community in Greenwood. Although Roby appreciates the comfort of assistance when needed, he’s used to falls and has no plans of slowing down. A veteran paratrooper, he rang in his 95th birthday with a skydive last year — and he wants to take the leap again on his 100th!
Roby knew he landed in the right place at Aspen Trace after the community gave him a place to meet and eat with fellow veteran paratroopers in the Tillman E. Beikes-Indianapolis All-Airborne Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association. The group, which used to meet at various restaurants in Indiana, is happy to have a new home.
“(Aspen Trace) is very accommodating, and the food is great,” Roby said. “It’s nice for us to have a new place to swap stories.”
Roby loves telling stories and sharing his experiences. His first book, A Town Too Small, follows men much like himself living in a fictitious Hoosier town on the eve of the Korean War — during which Roby served in the 11th Airborne Division. His second book, A House of Memories, is a collection of short stories and poems inspired by his life in the Midwest, covering everything from vacations with his wife to his decades-long career in sports sales.
Roby is currently toying with the idea of a sequel to A Town Too Small as well as a collection of columns he wrote for the Garfield Park Master Gardeners Club. “Nothing too exciting,” he said humbly. Obviously, that’s not true, as Roby has been published multiple times and profiled twice in The Daily Journal. And as all CarDon communities do with their residents, Aspen Trace takes great interest in Roby’s past and current pursuits.
“He has a very impressive background and life,” said Myckenzie Miller, the residential marketing director at Aspen Trace. “Roby is an inspiration.”
Perhaps Roby refers to his endeavors as “nothing too exciting” because sitting down to write or talk about them can’t compare to the thrill of jumping out of a plane and soaring through the skies. When he makes his centenary birthday jump, everyone at Aspen Trace will look up and cheer.