‘Mr. Bob’ builds community legacy: Dunlap named 2023 Humanitarian

BATESVILLE, Miss. — While most people nearing 94 years of age are relaxing at home — or in a nursing home — Robert H. Dunlap drives himself to work every day and spends a few hours in his office at Dunlap & Kyle Co. Inc.

His primary job is chairman and CEO of the family-owned tire business that is as old as he is. Yet over the years he also has created a second job title for himself — humanitarian.

Dunlap & Kyle is a major employer in Batesville, a town of about 7,500 residents in the shadow of neighboring Ole Miss, the main campus of the University of Mississippi. Perhaps equally famous in the region is the generosity of "Mr. Bob," who has impacted the lives of thousands over the years, directly or indirectly.

No one seems to have any idea how many (hundreds?) students he has financed through college. He has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to schools, colleges, charities, Boy Scouts, churches and conservation organizations, in addition to helping out individuals in need.

The hallway near his office is adorned with plaques of commendation and recognition for his contributions to various schools and non-profit organizations over the years.

"He's not one to look for awards. He doesn't even strive to get these things. They just come. When you do the things that he does, they just come," Dennis King, president of Dunlap & Kyle, said.

Now comes another award — Dunlap has been named the 2023 Tire Business Tire Dealer Humanitarian of the Year.

The annual award, now in its 30th year, recognizes an independent tire dealer who has made significant contributions to the betterment of their community through charitable and/or public service work.

An independent committee selected Dunlap because he has demonstrated an unselfish commitment to the betterment of others.

"There is a lot about Mr. Dunlap that impresses us," the committee said. "Praise for him — often specific and detailed — comes from many directions. His humanitarianism is exhibited over a wide range of areas and many years.

"It includes things that may have helped his business, but also things where he simply put money out of pocket with little hope of return. It includes public acts and private acts that he likely thought nobody would know about. ...

"With Mr. Dunlap, it seems to us that being a humanitarian is baked into the recipe of his life and business, far beyond any PR benefit to the company."

Due to his successful career in the tire wholesale/retail business, Dunlap has had the means to share his wealth — and share he does.

The anecdotes of Dunlap's generosity seem endless:

• The man who came out of prison, proved himself a hard worker and when he expressed his desire to get a college degree, Dunlap called the university and covered the tuition.
• The waitress serving him a meal at a local restaurant who was working to save up money for college, so Dunlap calls the university and tells them to send him her tuition bills.
• A group of church members who asked Dunlap for a donation to help build a new church, and he writes a check to reach the fundraising goal.
• A store manager who wanted to take his wife on a weekend trip to see the Gulf of Mexico for the first time, so Dunlap insisted on covering the cost of the vacation.
• A customer undergoing cancer treatment who was behind on his car repair payment, so Dunlap wrote off the debt.

He has supported numerous people released from prison by providing them with jobs and college tuition.

He has helped employees and members of the community during tragedies.

He funds the Panola County Community Chest, which helps residents who need emergency financial assistance.

"I've known him since I was a little kid," King said. "My dad and him were friends, and he's always been a kind-hearted person, someone who really loves nature and really loves helping other people.

"I think he gets real enjoyment out of it," he said.

"His business acumen has made it possible for him to generously support the lives and talents of others by providing education, job training, opportunities, and he has chosen to help generations establish and maintain a wholesome, thriving, caring community," Batesville Mayor Hal Ferrell said.

"Bob Dunlap encourages and inspires us all to be better, to be kinder and to be good citizens. … My friend is quick to remind me that we all have the power to make a difference in a world often filled with strife and division."

Dunlap has supported local schools by providing funds to help students in need and building an indoor practice facility and purchasing championship rings for the football players and coaches.

"I think everybody is so appreciative of what he does, especially in the community. …," King said. "A lot of the guys who work here have children who go to South Panola or North Delta (schools), and he's helped out both of those schools a tremendous amount."

The mayor said Dunlap has the Midas Touch in the community and has donated land, promoted development and encouraged businesses to come to the city. He has worked with the legislature to improve the city with such projects as creating access to the main highway that runs through Batesville.

"He is in tune with the community in every aspect of what's going on and supports the community. It's hard to find a place here in our community that he's not touched in some way," Ferrell said.

"I think he is leaving a big legacy of generosity, especially to the community around here. He's done so much for Batesville," King added.

A college education is high on Dunlap's priority list, so he has helped countless people afford a college tuition.

According to those who know him, Dunlap doesn't just write checks and forget about it — he takes a vested interest in the students, asking them to send their grade reports to him, and calling the school to find out how a student is doing.

He has established numerous scholarship endowments at the regional community college and at state universities, while also contributing to the schools' programs and capital improvements.

Dunlap is especially proud of being an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts.

"As an Eagle Scout he has taken to heart the commitment to support his community and Scouting," said Owen McCulloch, scout executive/CEO of the Natchez Trace Council of Boy Scouts of America, which serves 22 counties in northeast Mississippi.

"Not only does Mr. Dunlap generously support Scouting in Mississippi through annual support, but he also helped build a Scout camping facility on Sardis Lake, outside Oxford, Miss.

"Through Mr. Dunlap's continued support of Scouting," McCulloch said, "thousands of young people have had the opportunity to grow in character development, personal fitness, citizenship and leadership abilities, the core ideals of Scouting."

Danny McKittrick, a friend of the Dunlap family who worked in a prison probation department, said when he knew a person released from prison who had a good work ethic, he would refer that person to Dunlap for a job.

"He has hired so many people out of prison," he said, recalling how Dunlap told him, "If you give somebody a second chance, a lot of times that person becomes a faithful employee because they won't forget you're the person that reached out and helped pull them up."

Dunlap would hire former inmates for low-level jobs, such as on the loading dock, to test their work ethic, and if they proved themselves, he would move them up in the business.

"There are people who have been in prison who are running (Dunlap & Kyle's) Gateway Tire & Service Centers as managers," McKittrick said.

Another humanitarian effort Dunlap is involved in benefits generations of citizens — planting trees around the state.

He is known in the region as a conservationist. He owns an island in the Mississippi Delta that had been clear-cut by a paper mill, and he has spent years and money to reforest the island, as well as other areas of the state.

McKittrick estimates Dunlap, an avid hunter, has overseen the planting of millions of trees over the years.

"When I say millions of trees that he has planted, I mean millions of trees. … People think it's for wildlife management. It's not. He realizes the tire industry in and of itself can be very taxing on the environment," he said.

"I don't think people think about that as a humanitarian effort sometimes, when it really and truly is. It's a bigger calling than just feeding deer and turkey. It's a gift that keeps on giving because these trees are now in a conservation easement that can never be cut," McKittrick said.

For more than 30 years Dunlap has supported Palmer Home for Children, a nonprofit facility that houses and cares for children whose families are unable to care for them. Because the facility is religious-based, it has to raise donations to fund all its operations.

"He has been so generous to Palmer Home over the last 30 years. He's given just under $700,000 to Palmer Home for Children," said Madison Drake, director of development, Northeast Mississippi and Alabama, Palmer Home.

She noted that the facility planted a plum tree in Dunlap's honor in its "Hope Grows" garden, since he's a conservationist. Children work in the garden as a form of therapy.

He also supports the foundation by offering a $50,000 match during its annual radio-thon fundraiser on a local radio station to encourage callers to donate.

"He has done so much for so many people over all the years — from employees to churches, scholarships for college, school systems. He's always helping someone," said Christy Girner, assistant credit manager at Dunlap & Kyle, and Dunlap's niece.