ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In 1976, a teenager named Bob Gross landed a job at a hospital. His buddy Robin got him the gig.
Fifty years later, at HCA Florida Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg, Bob — a plant operator who can fix everything, from toilets to helipad lights — is still here, punching in every day.
He has no plans of retiring.
After all…
“I’m still learning,” he says. “And we shouldn’t stop learning until…never.”
WATCH: St. Pete hospital hero Bob Gross marks 50 years helping doctors, nurses and patients
St. Pete hospital hero Bob Gross marks 50 years helping doctors
The Largo grandpa is beloved for his hard work, his humility, and his advice for every new generation.
Bob is poetic about his lifetime opportunity to help doctors, nurses, and patients in a workplace that can be both uplifting and heartbreaking.
“We need to come together and find some common ground to do the right thing and help each other get well and have a good day,” he says.
Kimberly Gabel, Bob’s colleague in the Facilities department, says Bob is inspirational, but also a little mysterious.
His drive and consistency are superheroic.
“I think everyone wants to know what keeps him going, because I think they want some, too,” she laughs.
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