David Robertson

David Robertson, 85, died on September 21. Born on June 21, 1934, in East Orange, New Jersey, he earned a degree in geology at Lehigh University. During the summer of 1954, he worked in Boulder for the Holubars. His job included selling mountaineering equipment in their basement and, on occasion, slaughtering a cow on Alice Holubar's family ranch. The next summer, he was a miner at the Caribou Mine. In 1956, he married Janet Neuhoff, whom he met when he was her rock-climbing instructor. After a stint in the army, he worked as a geologist for the St. Joseph Lead Company in southern Missouri. In 1963, he and his family moved to Boulder, Colorado where, for 16 years, he was a computer programmer at NCAR. The next 20 years he worked at his one-person business, Robertson Software. An active member of the Colorado Mountain Club, David led multiple trips and helped build the Pfiffner Hut (since dismantled) and the Arestua. He served as the club's Conservation Chair and helped establish the American Mountaineering Museum in Golden. David received the CMC's Blaurock Award. He served on several conservation boards including Western Resource Advocates and the Alaska Conservation Foundation. In 1969, he and three others, including the late Harry Waldrop from Boulder, made the first ski crossing of the Juneau Ice-fields, from Juneau to Skagway. He and Jan visited every continent, climbed Kilimanjaro and Mt. Elbrus, and trekked in Nepal, Tibet, New Zealand and Peru. In 1988, they completed their final 14er. David is survived by his identical twin brother, Philip, his wife of 63 years, Jan, three children, Maggi (Robin), Ken (Helen), Bruce (Amy, now deceased), 8 grand children and 6 great grandchildren. On Saturday, October 5, a celebration of David's life will take place at the Old Gallery in Allenspark. For further information, please contact: jan@robsoft.com. Please make your reservations by Saturday, September 28. Contributions in David's honor may be made to the Colorado Mountain Club, 710 10th Street #200, Golden, Colorado 80401, or to The Old Gallery, 14863 Highway 7, Allenspark, Colorado 80510.