Bob Wright Oral History Transcript

Bob grew up in North Carolina. He explains his lifelong interest in hunting and how, after serving in the Korean War, he took a job as a wildlife conservation officer with the State of North Carolina. There he did hunting and fishing compliance and some bald eagle protection work. He met several U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife management officers there and in 1962 was hired to be a U.S. wildlife management officer, stationed in Maryland. He talks about his duties at his various field stations, particularly on endangered species work, his work on the Mexican-U.S. border, his designation as a U.S. Customs inspector (the first time a FWS law enforcement officer earned that designation), working on Native American artifact protection, and his work as an instructor of federal, state and international law enforcement officers. Even though he was a Federal officer, Bob was awarded the Arizona Wildlife Officer of the Year by Governor Bruce Babbitt for the work he did in partnership with Arizona wildlife law enforcement officials.