Lake Forest Classmates Remember Robin Williams

Written by Emily Stone

Before Robin Williams was Robin Williams the Comic Genius, he was Robin Williams the funny but nerdy kid in class in Lake Forest.

Williams, who spent his early years in the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff area, attended Gorton School and Deerpath Middle School, according to classmates who are reminiscing on the “I remember Lake Forest when…” Facebook page. He lived in the area until he was about 12, classmates said.

Here are some of the memories they’ve shared:

Two other boys “and I needed another guy for baseball and went to his house and his mother said he was in the basement playing. He had the entire floor set up with toy soldiers and was moving them about with voices and sound effects as explosions Etc.. He declined our invite. Saw him on TV 15 years later and heard a lot of those same voices.”

“I remember his red bow tie he wore often as well as the suspenders. … He had a ‘different’ sense of humor.”

“We were in 6th grade at [Gorton] at the same time but different classes. May have been a nerd then but [became] such a loved person. RIP Robin.”

Did you know Robin Williams as a kid? Please share your memories in the comments section below.