A Legacy of Learning

by Marsha Samuel, Communications Specialist, NJSGC
 
     The New Jersey Marine Education Association (NJMEA) recently recognized New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium's (NJSGC) Lee Rossbach at its Teach at the Beach annual meeting and teacher workshop held at Monmouth University and co-hosted by the University and NJSGC. Rossbach, who has served as a marine field instructor for NJSGC for the past nineteen years, received the Outstanding Educator Award for his contributions to marine education in New Jersey.
 
     Claire Antonucci, Executive Director of NJSGC and Barbara Kelly, President of the NJMEA, presented the award to the eighty-three-year old Rossbach at a special ceremony during the NJMEA meeting. "Lee has had tremendous influence during his time here at NJSGC," Antonucci noted. "He's probably taught close to 10,000 students during the past nineteen years, and I know I can speak for everyone when I say we all look forward to the spring field trip season when Lee is in the building. The award is truly well-deserved."
 
      Rossbach, a retired Wall Street securities broker, joined the staff at NJSGC after he was encouraged by his daughter-in-law to apply for the field instructor position as a way of sharing his knowledge and passion for the local marine environment. "[Being a field guide] enables me to hone my lifetime interest in the marine environment and the natural world," he said. "Because every field trip is different, you never know what to expect."

     Through NJSGC's Education Program, Rossbach is one of many field instructors who lead K-12 classes on guided tours of Sandy Hook's back bays and beaches, educating the students about the marine life found in the urban estuary. He is one of only a handful of field instructors who have been with the Education Program since its humble beginnings, now serving close to 20,000 K-12 students annually.

     To learn more about Rossbach, take a look back into The Jersey Shoreline's archives at this Fall 2003 profile written by NJMSC/NSJG Director of Communications Kim Kosko.