Bob served on the Board 8 times, was the club Secretary in 1958, Vice President in 1962 and President in 1966. He was the winner of at least 7 monthly club contests, including one in November of 1964 when he took a bass of 58-13 which stands to this day as the official club record (see section on 50 pounders). He was/is a gentleman and when speaking chooses his words well. He loved to fish and was one of the most patient guys that I ever had the pleasure to fish with, and that is certainly why he took the club’s Largest Striped Bass award on four occasions, 1959, 1960, 64 and 84., and the weakfish category in 1983.He contributed a great deal to the club but his contributions were not confined to High Hill along.
At some point during early or mid 1967, Bob along with then LIBBA member Irwin Levy and a fellow named Blair Moger hatched an idea relating to the long fought effort to legally have the striped bass classified as a game fish-no sale. Within a matter of weeks a committee was formed and shortly thereafter an organization entitled Save Our Stripers (SOS), came into being. A number of High Hill members served on the SOS committee or Board, and I believe it was Artie Glass who suggested the name. SOS was not some small club, it became an organization with several thousand dues paying members and roughly 40 or more clubs and it had the tacit support of tens of thousands. Bob served as it’s President during a number of years and was, in general, it’s leading spokesman for much of the 17 years that it was active.
Most of us involved in SOS and its goal devoted a considerable amount of time and effort, but I can’t even guess at the amount, which Bob and also Eileen devoted, it had to be staggering! Save Our Stripers never
achieved it’s goal, but I for one believe that the years of relative heated debate in the Legislative Chambers of Albany, through the media and elsewhere played a role in the timing of the birth of the Interstate Striped Bass Management project in late 1976. When the NYS Legislature passed the 24 – inch Striped Bass Management bill in 1983 SOS led the fight. Along with two or three others, Bob, Bob Buss and I made numerous trips to Albany to lobby for it’s passage that year. Those who were involved in that effort, and most of all Bob have a right to be proud, and those who use that fishery resource owe them a debt of gratitude.
Adopted from a book "The Complete History of the High Hill Striper Club " by Fred Schwab, edited by Zeno Hromin.
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