With his long blond hair and an untiring, purposeful stride Robb Leary was a fixture on the strong track teams at Windsor Locks High School in the
early 1970’s.

In only his second year of running he won the state championship in the one-mile run. Before he graduated in 1973, Robb won championships in the 1mile run and the 4×400 relay.

It was during his senior year where Robb hit his full stride by dominating his competitors by going undefeated in indoor and outdoor one-mile events. He also had a remarkable 6-2 record in cross country events during that impressive senior year.

In high school Robb loved to fish. During the summer, he fished at the
family home on Dean Islands in Lake Champlain in the town of Charlotte
Vermont. During his school year he fished in the wild tributaries of the
Farmington River in Connecticut.

Robb continued his running career as a member of the University of
Massachusetts track team. During his time at UMASS, Robb had the a
“bucket list” moment getting to run the mile on the famous indoor track at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately, Robb suffered an injury his
sophomore year in college, which brought his running career to an early
end.

While at the University of Massachusetts, Robb earned his Bachelor of
Science Degree. He went on to earn his master’s degree in Natural
Resources at the University of Wisconsin and went on to pursue his PhD at the University of Montana.

Robb was a leader in his field in genetics, specifically working in fish
genetics, including working with the US Fish and Wildlife National
Conservation Training Center.

He was passionate about conservation, was a valued teacher, and mentor to many. He loved to teach, and he was amazingly good at it. He taught college courses, both graduate and undergraduate.

He taught fisheries genetics for years at the Us Fish & Wildlife National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia.