Robert VanderLaan

File:Robbie's pumpkin carving abilities (right) alongside his friend's superior carving abilities (left) 2013-11-01 14-49.jpg

Robbie' s pumpkin carving abilities (right), and his friend's superior carving abilities (left)

Robert "Robbie" VanderLaan is a former majority leader of the Michigan State Senate. A Republican, he ran to replace Gerald Ford as representative for Michigan's 5th congressional district in a 1974 special election, but was defeated by Democrat Richard Vander Veen. It was seen as a stunning upset, as VanderLaan had never yet lost an election. He served in the state senate for 20 years in total; after retirement he joined Democrat Bobby Crim in forming a lobbying firm; he also had a career as an IT professional.

Personal life

Robert was born in Hamilton, Ontario and was raised by a loving mother and father. As he grew older, he steadily became more and more knowledgeable. At around the age of 17, he started showing a keen interest in redecorating his room. Despite this interest, he kept putting it off and as a result his room stayed empty for a lengthy period of time, with nothing more than smashing down the walls accomplished. During his adult life, Robert is now happily married with 2 children named Keith and Wilfred. He enjoys golf as a hobby although he is quoted as saying he is: "not any good at it". But probably the most significant event in Robbie's life was October 31, 2013, when he first celebrated Halloween.This included trying his hand at pumpkin carving, cutting his finger, taking candy from children, and playing mall madness with his friends.

Recognition

Although Robert has not won any significant awards throughout his lifetime, he has been called "the Mozart of his generation" by his peers, for his excellent prowess on the piano, as well as his equally admirable saxophone playing ability. He also enjoys to play numerous sports, including hockey, soccer, bowling, and wii tennis, although he is better at some of those as opposed to others which he tends to be beaten at by his friends. In addition, Robert showed great ambition towards his studies. Although he only attended college, Robert has often been called a "model student" by himself as well as by a select number of others. He got repeatedly high marks on his various school projects and assignments, which has been a tremendous accomplishment, and he likes to let others know about all these accomplishments, which is not a bad thing necessarily.