Photo by Tony Pachelli

Robert "Bob" H. Torstenson was 51 when he passed away on May 7, 2002. He is survived by his wife, sons, and a host of friends. A resident of Rockford, Illinois, Bob had been retired for six years following the sale of his family’s company, Duo-FAST, a tool-manufacturing firm. He was an avid sportsman who had traveled and hunted over much of the world. A man of clear vision and intense drive, boyish charm and bursts of generosity, he will be missed by many, but remembered by future generations of outdoors enthusiasts – the ultimate beneficiaries of Bob’s love for wild elk and wild places.

Torstenson wrote:

“I have been blessed with opportunities to experience true wilderness and wild places where man’s impact has been insignificant. Unfortunately, the pace of development and intrusion has intensified. Organizations such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation have accepted the challenge to make a difference. With teamwork from all other great conservation partners, even greater strides can be made, but there is much to do, and we should all share their sense of urgency.”

“My family and I believe in the vision of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and hope to merge our own values with the goals of the foundation by our grant of a conservation easement to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. It is our hope that future generations will enjoy our New Mexico mountains and the creatures that depend upon their unique ecosystems to survive. At the same time it is our call to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and like-minded individuals that the time is now to take action and become both the voice and the force for the future, to not only stop but also begin to reverse the damage to a once truly wild and beautiful land.”

A passage from Torstenson’s Declaration of Trust:

“It is my strong belief that our young people and future generations should have opportunities to hunt and fish in wild places, and that wise conservation and management of such places will promote the continuation of a tradition of lawful hunting and fishing which has meant so much to me. It is my desire that the Double H Ranch be transferred to an organization…that will benefit wild elk and other native game and plant communities. …the Double H Ranch and all improvements thereon shall be gifted by distribution, transfer, assignment, or otherwise, to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation…”