Bob Egan Named 2022 Volunteer of the Year

If you’ve followed any of The Landings Association’s Public Works Capital Projects since 1999, breathed a sigh of relief knowing Chatham Emergency Services (CES) has The Landings covered, or had a great time partying at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Savannah, then you have reaped the benefits of a few of Bob Egan’s volunteer efforts.

Egan and his wife, Joyce, purchased property in The Landings in 1990 and became Landings Golf & Athletic Club Members in 1993. Egan was introduced to The Landings by a colleague who also was an avid golfer. When they purchased their first property, he still was employed full-time as a corporate executive with AT&T. Located in Brussels at the time of his employment, he was responsible for Europe and the Middle East. However, the siren calls of The Landings, with its six golf courses and coastal charm, finally lured the couple to the community full-time in 1996.

Egan believes in giving back to the community in which he lives, and knew upon retiring to The Landings that his work life wasn’t over quite yet.

“When I retired, I knew I wanted to continue doing things to help make a positive difference, and, of, course, I wanted to keep my mind and body active. My view is that volunteers bring a certain expertise to organizations and nonprofits that help solve problems and help improve performance.”                

Egan’s volunteer efforts in The Landings and Savannah have been varied and many. In addition to serving on The Landings Association’s Board and Public Works Committee for many years, he also was on several other island committees including the Member Guest Committee for The Landings Golf & Athletic Club. Egan was a 10-year volunteer firefighter and is now on the Board at Chatham Emergency Services (formerly Southside Fire Department), an Advisory Board Director at Park Place Outreach (a youth emergency shelter), is a member of several Irish organizations in Savannah, marched for the past 15 years in the local St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and served as Board Director for St. James Catholic School. He said he could not be more pleased with his decision to make The Landings and Savannah his home.

“I am grateful for the many relationships I have formed both on and off island,” Egan said. “The Landings is such a wonderful place, filled with great people. Most people who move here are eager to volunteer in one way or another, and that makes our island very special.”

 Egan said he is humbled to be chosen as the 2022 Volunteer of the Year. He admits the news came as a huge surprise but a good one.

 “I had no idea,” Egan said. “I am honored and surprised. Sometimes you get lucky. I consider myself on the downward side of volunteering at this point in my life, and this honor was very unexpected.”

Egan still remembers his first volunteer assignment in The Landings 25 years ago, which was to work with a group to establish a practice of joint purchases of common items used by both The Landings Association and The Landings Golf & Athletic Club to help reduce costs for both organizations. However, his best volunteer memory was helping to raise enough money to build a new facility on Henry Street for Park Place Outreach.

“Helping raise the funds for Park Place was by far one of my fondest volunteer memories,” Egan said. “It felt so good to make a difference, and we raised enough to build the facility with no mortgage. At the time, I was President of the Park Place Board, and a large number of Landings residents, including Jim Overton and Marolyn Overton, to mention two, were involved with the organization and helped to make the new facility possible.”

Egan said there is no better feeling than giving back, and he encourages anyone contemplating volunteering to jump in with both feet.

“My advice would be to go ahead and get involved,” he said. “You truly have nothing to lose and so much to gain, including lots of knowledge and a better understanding of your community. For example, all my years on the Public Works Committee helped me to do a better job in my volunteer capacity at St. James Catholic School. For a decade, I helped with the school’s facilities, including initiating contracts. At one point, we were looking to get new lights on the football field, and TLA Public Works Director Sean Burgess had recently done the same for a TLA facility, so I was able to reach out to him for help.”

Although Egan may be scaling back on volunteer hours, he has no plans to quit anytime soon. In fact, his latest project is to raise funds and build a new Monastery for the Carmelite Sisters located off White Bluff. He has been involved with them for over 20 years. He started with them by doing ground maintenance and is now on the Board. However, with his newfound time, he will have more opportunities to play golf, bocce, and spend time with his family and friends. Egan and his wife, Joyce, have three children and five grandchildren.

“My wife and family have always been a huge source of support for me, egging me on in whatever I did,” he chuckled. “We have one daughter, Kathleen, in Virginia, a son, Tim, in Colorado, Bob Jr., in Savannah, and five grandsons in universities around the country.”

 Support of Egan does not end with his family. There is no denying he is respected by the people who work with him in all his volunteer associations. Landings Association Public Works Director Sean Burgess has worked with Egan for many years and said the experience has been a pleasure.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Bob to better this community since starting with TLA in 2004,” Burgess said. “His insight, leadership, passion, and no-nonsense approach were irreplaceable in helping shape many of the programs and capital improvements for the community. Bob’s first stop would usually be to the golf course and then straight to the Public Works building after his round. I always knew when he walked in with his classic catch phrase ‘Lookie here,’ it was time to get to work! I cannot thank him enough for the time and effort he put into improving the community, while helping me grow as an individual and employee.”

Landings Association General Manager/COO Karl Stephens said he truly is in awe of the amount of volunteerism that takes place in The Landings. He added that volunteers like Egan choose to impact positively the community and shape its character.

“Bob Egan was TLA President when I was hired here as Public Relations Manager back in 2002,” Stephens said. “Professionally, I remember being in a meeting with him and Georgia Power, when he told the executives in no uncertain terms that they would replace aging cables that were causing frequent power outages. Bob knows how to get things done! Personally, I recall playing catch with him on the athletic fields, as we were getting ready to throw out the first pitch for our Landings Night at the Ballpark, and thinking, this is not a bad way to spend the day! Bob said he was practicing because he wasn’t going to bounce the ball on that evening, and he didn’t! The Landings Association is in much better shape thanks to Bob’s tremendous leadership over the years.”