Robert D. Leslie, better known as Bob Leslie to his yacht-owning clients and fellow yacht brokers, died on July 11. He turned a childhood love of boats into a career spanning more than five decades. Leslie was 81 years old.
Born in 1945 in Massachusetts, Leslie got the boating bug when he was 11. He found an abandoned 10-foot (3.1-meter) dory in a local river. After restoring and relaunching it, he never looked back. In fact, a little over 25 years later, he moved aboard a ketch in Boston Harbor. Further during the 1980s, he sailed multiple times in the Newport to Bermuda Race and SORC competitions.
Although Leslie graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1969 with a degree in business management, his yachting-career trajectory started in 1971. Graves Yacht Yard in Marblehead in his home state hired him as a broker. Then, in 1985, he bought Northrop & Johnson’s Marblehead office, managing it for 22 years until selling it in 2007. Rather than leave the company, though, Leslie remained a Northrop & Johnson broker, in the Newport, Rhode Island office. He had significant influence on a number of fellow brokers. In fact, Kevin Merrigan, Northrop & Johnson’s chairman, credits Leslie with convincing him to join the firm. “Bob was one of the biggest influences on my decision to join Northrop & Johnson,” he says. “He treated everyone with respect, conducted business with unwavering integrity, and proved success comes from earning trust over a lifetime.”
Besides his nearly lifelong career at Northrop & Johnson, Leslie was president of the Yacht Architects and Brokers Association from 1991 to 1993. (The organization changed its name to the Yacht Brokers Association of America in 2000.) Additionally, he earned its Broker of the Year in 1991. Furthermore, Leslie was a member of the team that established the Certified Professional Yacht Broker exam. This has become the yacht-brokerage industry’s national standardized test.
Calling Leslie a mentor and friend, Merrigan says, “He represented the very best of Northrop & Johnson and of our industry.”
Leslie enjoyed not only boating, but also alpine ski racing past his 80th birthday. He further remained an avid golfer and cyclist, and had recently purchased a 1951 MG TD coupe to display at a classic-car show.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Haran, and his son, Scott Leslie. The family has established a scholarship in his name at Salem State University in Massachusetts. Donations made be made to The Robert D. Leslie, Helen and Francis Haran Scholarship via the link below.
Salem State University participate.salemstate.edu
Leave a Reply