BOB OETTING By Lisa Goenner, registrar You might have spotted him in his old American Airline’s officer’s cap, the one he wears whenever he’s in the cockpit of a Landon bus. You might have spied him in that rumpled, narrow-brimmed fishing hat that he sports when he’s working on a construction job. Or, perhaps his chapeau was part of a costume in one of the roles he’s played in Landon drama productions. One thing is certain: Robert Oetting has worn a lot of hats over the years—both literally and otherwise. A Marine Corps veteran and former engineering test pilot, Col. Oetting followed military service with a career as an airline pilot before joining the Upper School faculty at Landon in 2001. Col. Oetting has brought his wideranging interests and experience to bear in a variety of roles as teacher, advisor, colleague, volunteer and friend. In fact, it’s hard to find a program at Landon that hasn’t benefitted from Oetting’s staunch support and untiring efforts. Oetting has taught everything in Upper School from Algebra II to Engineering, Chemistry and all levels of Physics. He’s been the driving force behind the many successful projects conducted each May with Habitat for Humanity—following every Independent Senior Project expedition with a similar experience in June for an even larger group of underclassmen. A leader by example, Oetting sets high standards and models those expectations with his own record of achievement, never demanding from others what he is unwilling to do himself. As a Marine, Oetting certainly knows a breach when he sees one, and fills it without hesitation. Where Landon School is concerned, he has a record of volunteerism that is unmatched. Whether it’s giving extra help to his students, covering for an absent colleague, hosting an exchange student, constructing sets for a Landon play, working on a committee, or even driving that Landon bus in a pinch, Oetting meets need with immediate action. Without fanfare—but always with great enthusiasm, good humor, professionalism and absolute integrity— Robert Oetting has made a career of stepping up. Col. Bob, hats off!
tract with a kid to get the results he wants. He’s tough and likes to play up his New York background and accent. The boys think he’s Italian, and they will ask me if he’s in the Mafia! He’s actually Eastern European by background. Now he lives in Annapolis and makes the commute in every morning. That’s a good reason to retire! Mike certainly gets 8th graders. His math class is very ordered, and he is very good at breaking down problems so kids can understand them. Boys are more visual in nature than girls, generally, and Mike uses that to teach them math concepts. Boys need structure, and he
gives them that. He’s definitely a left brain guy, although I know from our trips that he appreciates the arts quite a bit. He will often ask me to lecture on the bus about art history and what the boys are about to see, but he would probably pass on going to the Vatican again after all these times. He will be missed by all who have come to know him at Landon, but I’m sure I will occasionally wander out to Annapolis and visit my buddy and reminisce about our travels.
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