Bob Anderson and his wife, Lorraine, moved to Grinnell in 1953, where he owned and operated Grinnell Office Supply. From 1980 to 1993 he owned and operated Boklada, a downtown bookstore. Anderson was mayor of Grinnell from 1985 until his death in 1999. Interview conducted as part of American Beliefs and Cultural Values, an American Studies class taught by Hanna Griff at Grinnell College in 1993.