Roll Call Tribute

Robert Chester Szaro 

January 17, 1949 - February 6, 2025 

Dr. Robert Chester Szaro (“Bob”) passed away on February 6, 2025.

Born in New York in 1949, he was a graduate of Texas A&M University (BS), the University of Florida (MS), and Northern Arizona University (PhD, 1975).

Bob began his federal career at the Department of Interior’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, examining the effects of oil pollution of waterfowl. He joined the US Forest Service in Arizona as a field scientist, later transferring to headquarters in Washington, DC. Bob served as the Forestry Attache at the US Embassy in Vienna, Austria from 1996 to 2000, also representing the United States in IUFRO. He was appointed Assistant Director of the Pacific Northwest Research Center in Portland, Oregon. In 2004, Bob joined the US Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia as the Chief Scientist for Biology.

Retirement in 2008 brought new adventures as a naturalist guide for Smithsonian Journeys, and in 2016 he and his wife moved to the central coast of California. Bob was a globetrotter and photographer who captured countless images of his journeys around the world. He was a connoisseur of wines and loved living near the vineyards.

He is survived by his wife, Jayne, their son, Matthew, and his brother, Timothy.

IN THE CARE OF
Chapel of the Roses & Chapel of the Roses Cemetery