| South Shore Waterfowlers Association | Fall 2002 |
Past President's Profile
| Robert
Cary Wyatt, long-time resident of Bay Shore, died in
Boynton Beach, Florida on February 11, 2002. Bob was born
June 22, 1916 to George and Edna Fontaine Wyatt. He
attended a three-room schoolhouse in Brookhaven where he
graduated from elementary school. He attended Brooklyn
Tech where he was on the swim team. His family moved to
Brightwaters. He enjoyed his senior year in the old
Fourth Avenue School where he graduated in 1934. He loved
to sail and swim in the Great South Bay. He went to Fort Hayes, Kansas, where his brother George was a young priest. While attending Agricultural School, he became a Lay Minister under Bishop Mies and was sent out to Mission churches to read the sermon and conduct services. He wished at that time to become either a priest or a farmer. As time passed, he became a bit of both. He served in the Signal Corps with seventy men under him. He drove a jeep delivering messages under General Bradley in Europe. In 1946, he married the former Joan Marie Rogers, daughter of Louis D. and Rosina Jones Rogers of Bay Shore. Together they had three children: Robert, Cindy, and Jean. They now have 7 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. Bob was a licensed Real Estate and Insurance Broker with Rogers and Wyatt. After retiring from his business, he worked for Bay Shore Schools for 13 years as a courier. While he did this, he conducted nature walks for children at Gardiner Park and East Islip Nature Center. He was affectionately known as "Ranger Bob" by the children of Bay Shore Schools. He taught Ecology courses as an in-service for the teachers at Bay Shore Schools. After retiring from the school system, he continued to work with the children as a substitute teacher. He was Past Commander at Bay Shore American Legion Post #365, and he served on the Vestry and as a Lay Minister for St. Peters Church. |
An
avid nature lover and conservationist, he was past
president of the South Shore Waterfowlers. He was active
in the Audubon Society; he was a bird watcher before it
became popular. He was the first male member of the Bay
Shore Garden Club. He loved to carve decoys and enjoyed
fishing. Bob and Joan spent summers for the last 10 years over at Ocean Beach, Fire Island. Bob served on the Board of Trustees of the Free Union Church in Ocean Beach. He especially enjoyed taking care of the towns many gardens. Last summer Bob enjoyed his 85th birthday celebration where over 50 relatives and many close friends gathered to celebrate his life. He was given a kayak for his birthday. Many remember Bob kayaking and swimming in the bay that he loved. Bob Wyatt was one of the founding fathers of our great association. In our early years he was our perennial secretary. When not pushing the pen, he administered the post of president, setting many good policies that are still the backbone of our organization. While Bob was not a great duck shooter, he was a great duck, wildlife, and conservation proponent, using the waterfowlers as a vehicle to exploit his high standards for conservation. For our annual dinner, Bob pursued the idea to have a conservationist who was doing good for humanity, as our guest of honor. This was our first step in burgeoning the waterfowlers to tasteful public recognition and political clout. Anne Carl, at Bob's recommendation, was the first recipient who gave a very stirring speech. When the Waterfowlers rejuvenated the U.S. National Decoy Carving Championship and Waterfowl Expo, Bob was the backbone of the committee while being the ardent worker, promoter, and compassionate host. He will surely be missed. |
Martin Fleisher, Past President