Family

Bobby, II is one of three siblings. His Parents, Bobby and Mary Phills are both graduates of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they majored in Horticulture and Office Administration, respectively. While both parents played high school basketball, Bobby credits his athletic skills to his mother, who was a top basketball athlete and music scholar at St. Tammany High School in Slidell, Louisiana. Bobby apparently inherited both talents as he also played the clarinet. Following his mother’s college graduation, she accepted full time employment with the Army ROTC Unit at Southern University where she worked for some 8 years to help Bobby, Sr. through graduate school while taking care of their two children, Bobby and his younger brother Dwayne Armand.
His Father’s education was briefly interrupted for a tour of duty in South Vietnam, where he served as Crew Chief and Flight Operations Coordinator for a period of 13 months. Upon returning from South Vietnam, where he earned several medals of honor, including two Air Medals and the Bronze Star, he entered Louisiana State University Graduate School to continue his education in Horticulture. In 1972, he earned his Master of Science Degree in Horticulture, and in 1975, a Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Horticulture with an emphasis in Plant Breeding and Genetics. He was the first African American to earn the MS and PhD degrees in Agricultural Sciences from Louisiana State University. As devoted parents, despite working full time, they attended almost every game that Bobby and Dwayne played. In fact, they made most of Bobby’s college games, both at home and away.
Both of Bobby’s brothers, Michael Mason and Dwayne Armand Phills were also very gifted athletes. Michael played both high school and college football and was destined to play professional football had he not suffered a career ending injury. He went on to complete his college education at Northwestern State University in Business Management, and has practiced his business skills in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana since graduation. His younger Brother Dwayne Armand played his high school basketball at Baker High School, where he too earned state all American honors. Taking a different path, Dwayne initially went to a Community College in Alexandria, Louisiana and later transferred to Colorado State University where he went on to graduate in Agricultural Business rather than continue to focus on athletics. He later entered the Masters of Science Program at Alabama A&M University in Agricultural Economics with a minor in Computer Sciences. Following a brief stint as Construction Manager of a family-owned a construction company, he took a job in Houston, Texas as the Manager of a tool manufacturing company. His love is computer science and as such, he currently serves as Computer Diagnosticator for a national restaurant chain based in Houston, Texas.
Bobby’s immediate family consist of his wife, Kendall Watkins Phills, and three children, Brittany, Bobby, III (Trey) and Kerstie Raedawn. He and Kendall were high school sweethearts and neighbors. Kendall, like Bobby, played high school basketball for Southern University Laboratory School. Upon graduation, she entered Southern University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. They were wed in the Summer of 1994 and to this union two children were born, Trey and Kerstie.
Although his children lost their Father at a very early age, it is evident that during his short stint on this earth, he had a tremendous impact on their lives. All three children are both academically and athletically gifted. Brittany and Trey are already excelling in basketball, and Kerstie is not far behind. It is often said that acorns do not fall far from the roots of the tree from which they grew. If this is true, Bobby’s children will be might oaks because they all come from excellent rootstock.