James Robertson

1950 - 2019

James Robertson
June 15, 1950 - Nov. 9, 2019
Palo Alto
"NIXON RESIGNS, FORD TO TAKE OFFICE TODAY!"
Professor James Robertson kept that August 9, 1974 New York Times announcement of Nixon's departure in his office for his entire life. The long-time history professor, family man, and art and music lover never suffered fools well, least of all those to whom much responsibility had been entrusted.
From a very early age, he carried with him the weight of the sweeping historical issues of his day. The first sentence of the speech he delivered for the 1967 graduating class of Menlo Atherton High School referenced the Vietnam War and the ongoing civil strife the nation was enduring. In it, he declared that American society had gotten away from its founding principles, that the protestant work ethic had fallen out of fashion, and contemporary society was corrupt.
After going off to Yale, he would fight to return America to its founding ideals. He took his father's helmet form the Second World War, drew a white peace sign on the front, and joined the movement to save America. For the rest of his life, the music of this era – and Joan Baez in particular -- reminded him of his glory days.
By the time he delivered a speech to his 25th high school reunion in 1992, America still needed to be saved. The promises of the Great Society remained just that, and the wave of revolutionary energy that crested in the late 1960s and early 1970s was now a distant memory. Society had been remade, but through reform, not revolution.
In 2002, James donated several hundred history and philosophy books to the College of San Mateo library, where he had taught for years. [names of books donated]. A few months later, after a visit there, he discovered they had thrown away nearly half of his collection. He scrambled to recover as many books as he could, hauling bank boxes tacked with books from the dumpster back to his car.
He had a strong view of the way the world should work, which often clashed with the way the world did work. He poured his heart and soul into making sure that he held himself to a higher standard, in part to inspire others to do the same; to help to work towards that ideal view of the world.
A few years later, he had the chance to work towards that better world when he was elected Senior Warden of St. Mark's Episcopal Church. In that capacity, he helped to turn the church around from very deep financial problems and helped to find a new pastor for the church.
Over dinner, Jim would smile as he told his wife and son of the accomplishments of his students. He knew the name and face of every student who transferred, every student who switched their major to history, every student who was accepted into an Ivy League. On a thank-you card he received when he retired, a student of his scrawled had "you made me a citizen!"
Even after he retired, he kept them close to his heart. When it was announced that rollbacks would be made to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the then-retired Prof. James Robertson broke down into tears.
"Those are my former students." He said.
James was a man who cared and a man who felt deeply the problems of the world. His gift to his surviving friends and family is the memory of a man who worked tirelessly for a better world.
A memorial service will be held at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Palo Alto on Sunday December 15th at 3:00pm


View the online memorial for James Robertson