Robert "Bo" Willis

Robert "Bo" Willis (1917 – 2007) was a renowned fastpitch softball pitcher, and the first player admitted to the Oregon Softball Hall of Fame. A WWII US Navy veteran, he also worked for Darigold Creameries for more than 40 years.

Personal life and education Bo Willis, the son of Jack and Virginia Willis, was born in Seattle, Washington, on February 12, 1917. He graduated from Gates High School in Gates, Oregon, in 1936.

Willis married Grace Leeds Bowne on August 16, 1941. Their family included their daughter Georgia and sons Ted, Jack and Jim. Bo and Grace had ten grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. he was "reputed to have a blazing softball pitch that was virtually unhittable." to a win over the famed Eddie Feigner's touring team, "The King and His Court".

University of Oregon player and coach Mel Krause recalled while he was in college in Eugene being on Willis' fastpitch softball team:

"I wanted to see the difference," Krause said. "It really helped my baseball. After that (softball experience), when I got up to bat in baseball, it seemed like it took forever for a baseball to get there." Krause said batting against Willis, who was reputed to be able to throw the ball in excess of 100 mph, was one of the most difficult assignments he ever undertook in the sport. "He had the fastball, the rise, the drop and the changeup," Krause said. "He could just overpower you, and then he'd throw that changeup. He had me so fooled one time I about threw my back out when I corkscrewed into the ground because he threw that change on me." Karen Meats, another a member of softball halls of fame for the state and region said:

"He pitched until he was 58; he kept coming out of retirement... What was so cool was he'd go out there with that gray hair, and he still had a swagger about him. Those young studs thought he would be a rollover for them. They couldn't touch him."

At a 2006 Lane Community College baseball team fundraising banquet, Bo Willis was greeted with a standing ovation. According Mel Krause, "He had tears in his eyes," and he told Krause, "Mel, I can't believe this." Krause responded, "Bo, you've earned that respect."

Robert "Bo" Willis died in 2007. He was 90 years old.