Richard Robertson

Richard L. Robertson, noted local historian and lecturer, 88, of 55 Cottage Row, died Friday (March 27, 2015).
Born May 25, 1926, in Bradford, he was a life-long Bradford resident. He was the son of the late Paul Wellington and Bernadine Christina Johnson Robertson. He was a graduate of Bradford Area High School, Class of 1944.
He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army as a technician fourth grade, 562ND Anti-Aircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion. He was posted in Aachen and Salzburg and had been earlier attached to the British 3rd Army. He was at Füssen, Germany, training for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. He recently found out his service postings coincided with the locations and times of the secret recovery of stolen art detailed in the book and movie "Monuments Men," which shocked him greatly. He was awarded the Marksman Badge, Army of Occupation Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. He was honorably discharged on July 31, 1946.
On Aug. 28, 1948, at the Asbury Methodist Church in Bradford, he married Elsie Valetta Hayes, who survives him.
He worked for Bradford Motor Works, later Trico Industries, for 40 years, and was well known to local independent oil producers. He retired as district sales manager for Trico, and manager of the Trico pump shop, now Quinn's.  
Mr. Robertson was an avid outdoorsman, who loved primitive camping, archery, hunting, hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing, but particularly hunting with a longbow. He was NFAA Pennsylvania State Champion Field Archer in 1959, F-bow. He won numerous other National Field Archery Association awards, including the Art Young Award. He was a long-time member of the Bradford Pistol and Revolver Club and the Bradford Sportsman's Club. As a skilled fisherman and expert canoeist, he won a New York State Record Fish Award for catching a 28 pound Channel Catfish from the Allegheny River. He was a life-time member of the Tuna Valley Archers, the NRA, the American Legion, the Landmark Society and McKean County Historical Society, on which board he served with his wife.
Drawing on his extensive local knowledge, he gave historical presentations at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, First Night, The Pavilion at BRMC, and regularly in summer series at the McKean County Historical Society. His 20 lecture topics included, the BB&K Railroad, McKean County railroads, Bradford's beautiful houses, local architecture, Main Street, trolleys, oil fields, Bradford bricks, the Genesee Valley Canal, and, particularly, the Kinzua Bridge.
Highly concerned about wildlife, habitat and the environment, he joined the Sierra Club in order to gain leverage over the many global and multinational corporations damaging his beloved places without regard to the local inhabitants. He strongly supported environmental activism by members of his family. He supported The American Chestnut Foundation and had found many local surviving chestnut trees and hoped to see the chestnut restored to the Eastern forest. His earliest memory was of riding piggy-back on his father's shoulders to pick chestnuts at Big Rocks.
Surviving, in addition to his wife, are two sons, Wade (Jane) Robertson of Bradford and Gary (Janet) Robertson of Gilford, N.H.; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by a sister, Jane Gordon; and a brother, Paul Robertson Jr.
There will be no funeral. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Hollenbeck-Cahill Funeral Homes Inc.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice.