Born in Minh-sien, Gansu, China February 18, 1898 to his missionary parents, David and Helen Ekvall. His father, David and uncle, William Christie from Scotland, were the first Christian and Missionary Alliance missionaries to visit Tibet (1986).

No sooner had the wedding cake been cut, did Bob and Betty Ekvall board a train to New York to attend The Missionary Training Institute in Nyack. With his fourteen year head start in the Chinese language, a Bachelors in English from Wheaton, he returned to China to direct the Bible school that his father David had founded. 

Soon their mission reluctantly allowed them to enter Tibetan language study at Taochow and to work among the Tibetan nomads.

In 1938 they returned to America to write the 50-year history of his mission and a book on mission wok in Tibet. During their furlough he studied Sanskrit and cultural anthropology at the University of Chicago focusing upon the Tibetan nomads.

Upon their return to Asia in 1939, Betty Ekvall died from a "high fever that defied diagnosis." During the war he experienced two years of internment in Indo-China from 1941-1943 and combat in Burma. In 1953 he served as interpreter for truce negotiations in Korea. He worked with the University of Washington from 1958 and retired in 1974.

A Brief Timeline of Robert B. Ekvall
	1898-1911	Robert Ekvall born & raised in China until his father David’s death
	1911-1917	Educated at Wilson Academy in Nyack & Wheaton College
	1917-1921	Apprentice with Western Electric & writes for Chicago Daily News
	1921-1923	Marries Betty Fisher & attends Missionary Training Institution In Nyack
	1923-1938	Years of service in Tibet among the nomadic pastoralists
	1938-1939	US Furlough writes history of the Alliance & studies anskrit.
	1939-1944	Betty Dies upon Return to Asia & Bob Interned in Indo-China
	1951-1953	Helps Norbu, Dalai Lama’s Brother & Interprets for Korean Truce
	1958-1978	Works with U of Washington & retires in 1974