He was the son of Mitchell and Glenda Boxberger and grew up in Ocean Beach, San Diego, California.
He wanted to fly but due to poor eyesight enlisted at age 17 in the U. S. Army Air Corps in 1945, trained as a cryptographer, and served in Saudi Arabia and the Aleutians during the WWII and Korean wars. In the Aleutians he met his lifelong friend, screenwriter and novelist William Kelley, and set out to become a writer himself. He received a bachelor of science degree in journalism at San Diego State University and began working as a reporter and photographer at the Ontario (California) Daily Report in 1956. In 1960 he got a job at the Oregon Journal and moved his new family to the Portland vicinity. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tribnet/obituary.aspx?n=robert-boxberger&pid=197561596
Bob was able to capture candid images of the grassroots racing efforts of 1950s southern California. A time when a 98cc pushrod Ducati would go head to head with a Vincent twin. All whilst circling on a barely paved track. Bob’s images were featured in SoCal magazines such as Cycle Action and Motorsport (an early booklet produced by the AFM). I was luckily enough to converse with Mr. Boxberger for the last few months of his life. He was warm and generous with his time and information. His family has generously allowed me to feature his period images here. I look forward to sharing them with you soon!
