Bob "Grumpy" Conway often didn't say much, but the thousands of photographs he left behind when he passed away in 2010 spoke volumes -- about the beauty and fragility of nature, and humans' responsibility to protect it.

Conway, who worked on A.D. Makepeace Company bogs for more than 45 years, spent many of those years tracking the wildlife and monitoring the plants surrounding the bogs.

"He was very quiet, unassuming, reticent," said Claire Smith, Conway's sister. "You didn't know he was around, but when he did say something, you listened -- because it was important."

"Bob's mission was to educate," Smith continued, "and he did that through his photography."

This quiet advocacy prompted the newly-formed Cranberry Educational Foundation to honor Conway's memory with the first ever Grumpy's Cranberry Harvest 5K Run/walk, held Saturday, November 3.

Appropriately, the race course took participants through a piece of the A.D. Makepeace Company property where Conway spent his time.

A total of 150 children and adults participated in the event, including state Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth).

"We are floored," Peter Beaton of Bayside Agricultural, a member of the foundation's board, said of the number of participants. The foundation had expected somewhere between 50 and 60 runners and walkers for the first year.

The race raised money for merit scholarships that the foundation will award to students studying agriculture, the environment, or natural resources.

Beaton described the foundation's mission succinctly: "There is a story to be told about cranberries," he said. "There's a lot of heritage that we want to share."

Naming the race in honor of Conway, who Beaton said "had a passion for birds and animals, and all the habitats" around the bogs, was a no-brainer.

"He was always very in touch, almost like he was part of the system out there," Beaton explained. "He respected the land."

Smith agreed, explaining that the animals seemed to recognize her brother.

"Bob would say, 'they know my truck,'" Smith, who serves as Wareham's town moderator, said with a smile. "They knew he wasn't a threat."

Conway was nicknamed "Grumpy" by a waitress at a place he frequented for coffee, likely due to his quiet nature, not his demeanor.

"He was just a huge-hearted guy," Beaton said.

That's how Judy Joy, who works for Ocean Spray and also serves on the Cranberry Educational Foundation's board, remembers Conway. Joy met Conway while conducting bog tours during the annual Cranberry Harvest Festival.

Conway kept photo albums in his truck and would take them out to show... well, just about everyone.

Joy noted: "He just had the greatest pictures of bugs and snakes!"

Check out Thursday's edition of Wareham Week for a look at some of Conway's photos!