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I remember when I first started writing about track & field in the late 1990s. I remember going to the CCRI field house in LIncoln during the indoor track & field season and seeing this Providence Journal reporter sitting down at the scorer's table with his Pork Pie Hat, crouched over this antique-like word processor, tapping away on his keyboard. It wasn't until much later that he "graduated" to a laptop like the rest of us. To be honest, with its narrow screen that allowed him to view a few lines of copy at a time, I'm not really sure how he was able to use that thing, but somehow he did, and he used it well.
Bob Leddy didn't say much to me back in those days. I think it was partly because he was so engaged in his work and ensuring that he finished his story by deadline. Also, I believe, it was partly because he didn't know who I was. It's not that Bob thought he was better than the rest of us newspaper types because he wrote for the Journal, our state's biggest paper. In his eyes, I just think he had to make sure we belonged there. He wanted to make sure that if we were there, we were going to give this great sport of track & field the same respect that he did.
I think once Bob realized that I shared that same passion of track & field that he did, we became friends; two good friends hanging out at a track meet, talking shop while watching the state's finest perform. We talked a lot over the years. I knew that whenever I was at a championship meet or a major invitational, I would always see my good friend with his notebook and pen in hand, and that Pork Pie Hat.
When former Journal reporter Carolyn Thornton informed me of Bob's unexpected passing on his 72nd birthday this past weekend, it hit me hard. My first thoughts were not only did I lose my good friend, but R.I. high school track & field lost its good friend, too. It was obvious that Bob enjoyed this sport so much. When he retired from the Journal a few years back, I knew it wouldn't be the last time we saw him. When he started writing again for the R.I. Track & Field Foundation, it didn't surprise me. How can you ever give up something you care so much about?
Almost as if he was handing his reigns over to me a few years after he left the Journal, Bob would often jokingly say he wasn't worthy to be in my presence; that he was not half of what I was when it came to covering track & field. He was kidding and it couldn't have been further from the truth. Bob always was, and always will be, Mr. Track & Field, when it comes to high school athletes in our state. The one thing I always told Bob is that even though his shoe size may be smaller, I still can't fill his shoes. He unequivocally loved this sport and it loved him back.
A few years ago, when I was inducted into the Rhode Island Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame, I heard that it was Bob that made sure I was among one of the inductees. To me, that was just as big an honor as the honor itself. It's something I will never forget.
Now my good friend is no longer with us. But I know I will see him again someday when my life has come to an end here on earth. I know it's cliche, but he really was taken away from us too soon. The one thing I do know is he's okay right now. I know he's still the same Bob high above those clouds. My guess is he's hanging out with all the greats of track & field and running, talking shop with all those that have gone before us like Prefontaine and Johnny J. Kelley and Johnny A. Kelly, the elder and younger Boston Marathon champions. For some reason, I can picture Bob chatting away with the Kellys the most. Both of them always had some great stories to talk about when it came to track & field and running, just like him.
Bob, I will surely miss our times together out on the track and cross-country trails. I'll miss those times at the annual track and cross-country banquets, which you enjoyed so much! It always seem to put a smile on your face watching the athletes rewarded for all their hard work.
Rhode Island high school track & field will not be the same without you, Bob. You will surely be missed my good friend. Rest in Peace!