Robert Fuller, assistant professor emeritus of wetlands ecology and wildlife management at the University of Vermont, died on January 20, 2017.
A U.S. Army Air Force pilot and a well-known wildlife biologist, Bob received his B.S. in wildlife conservation in 1951 from the University of Maine and soon after, his Master’s in wildlife management in Utah. From 1953 through 1969, he worked as a wildlife biologist for the Vermont Fish and Game Department (now Department of Fish and Wildlife). As the waterfowl project leader for the state of Vermont, he founded and managed the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in Addison County.
He worked tirelessly to restore wetlands and waterfowl numbers and establish Vermont's first-ever breeding populations of wild Canada geese. Bob received recognition for his work from the Atlantic Waterfowl Council through the prized Charles Banks Belt Award in 1957 and the Wildlife Conservationist-of-the-Year Award from the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Club in 1969.
Bob joined the faculty of the University of Vermont in 1966 and developed a Wildlife Management Concentration within the Department of Forestry. He became the first chair of the Wildlife Biology Program (now Wildlife and Fisheries Biology) in 1974 after creation of the UVM School of Natural Resources (SNR) in 1973.
Bob retired from UVM in 1988. He received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from Acting President Thomas Salmon at UVM Commencement in 1992. Bob was one of two honorees for significant contributions to waterfowl conservation in Vermont at a special 25-year Vermont Ducks Unlimited banquet in 1994.
Bob Fuller will be remembered by many UVM wildlife and forestry alumni for his wildlife courses and as a mentor who truly cared and who took the time to advise his students both professionally and personally.
"Bob Fuller was a great influence on me during my undergraduate years at UVM," said Jay Rotella, a 1982 UVM Wildlife and Fisheries Biology alum who had Bob as a professor for the Wetlands and Waterfowl Ecology course. "His knowledge of the topics and his incredible passion for the birds and their habitats were educational and inspirational to me. His professional demeanor left a strong impression on me as well. I have many fond memories of being out in the marshes of Vermont with him and learning from him in the classroom and the field. After I received my Ph.D. in wildlife biology in 1990, I was fortunate to teach Wetlands and Waterfowl Ecology in SNR. When I arrived on campus, I promptly requested a meeting with Bob to ask for advice on teaching the course he taught so well. He invited me to his home and greeted me warmly with pipe in hand when I arrived. As always, he was generous with his time, humble in his approach, and incredibly helpful."