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H. Rocke Robertson Fonds
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H. Rocke Robertson Fonds

  • CA MUA MG2001
  • Fonds
  • 1912-2015

The fonds document H. Rocke Robertson’s personal and family life, including his early education, his athletic abilities, his experiences during WWII in Britain, Sicily, and Italy, as well as some aspects of his professional life, including articles, speeches, and correspondence on his activities as a surgeon, surgeon in chief, professor of surgery, and as McGill’s principal, inclusive 1912-1998. In particular, his tenure as McGill’s principal is characterized by records in diverse formats such as personal diaries, correspondence files, newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, and related ephemera reflecting his administrative duties, including the changes he implemented at McGill, as well as his efforts to cope with radical student behaviour and the Quebec government’s unwillingness to provide McGill with much needed financial assistance. Robertson’s retirement activities are also reflected in the records. Also included are numerous documents that reveal his interest in rare English dictionaries, rare books, and the history of medicine, in particular the history of surgical techniques. The fonds consist of 18 boxes with some files arranged into subject categories while others have a chronological arrangement scheme.

The series consist of 1) Diaries; 2) Publications and Research Notes; 3) Speeches; 4) Personal and Family Related Materials; 5) Student Years at Brentwood College and McGill; 6) Medical and Professional Activities; 7) McGill Principalship and Administrative Activities; and 7) Awards and Honours.

Robertson, H. Rocke (Harold Rocke), 1912-1998

Degrees, Awards and honours

This series consists of H. Rocke Robertson’s numerous degrees, 1936 1971 (Container 4, File 87), 1932, 1936 (Container 20, File 269 270) and medical certificates, 1936 1976 (Container 20 Files 272-275, 277 278, 280-283 , 287-288), honorary degrees, 1964-1968, 1967-1971 (Container 2, File 33; Container 6, File 131; Container 20, Files 276, 279, 284, 289), awards, including the Montreal General Hospital Award of Merit, 1992-1993 (Container 1, File 1), the Brotherhood of Temple Eman-El Award, which includes an soundtape, 1970 (Container 2, File 28), and the Lister Centenary Prize, Doctor of Laws, the University of Glasgow, 1965 (Container 4, File 105). Robertson also received recognition and awards for his athletic abilities, such as the McGill Sports Certificate, 1936 (Container 20, File 268). Also included in the series are medals, such as the Order of St. John and the Order of Canada, 1969-1985 (Container 1, Files 25 26), military medals, 1939-1945, 1940 (Container 7, Files 139 141, 143; Container 20, File 271), and other honours, 1930 1974, 1962 (Container 7, Files 132 138, 142, 144).

Scholarships and chairs in his name reflect Robertson’s contributions to the fields of surgery and medicine, 1962-1996 (Container 1, File 11), such as the H. Rocke Robertson Chair in Surgery at the University of British Columbia, 1987 (Container 1, File 12), the H. Rocke Robertson Award for Clinical Teaching at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine, 1950 2005 (Container 4, Files 100 101), and the H. Rocke Robertson Chair in Surgery at McGill University, 1987 (Container 1, File 12), which was first awarded to David S. Mulder.

Personal and family related materials

This series consists of H. Rocke Robertson’s private life, documented in a series of correspondence with his father, Harold Bruce Robertson, Justice of Appeal, British Columbia; his Uncle, Dr. Edward M. Eberts, known as Uncle Ted; his brothers, Alexander Bruce Robertson, known as Bruce and Alan McGregor Robertson; and his sister, Ethel Marian Robertson, known as Marian, 1915 1926, 1962-1979 (Container 4, Files 85, 89; Container 3, Files 60, 63), as well as personal papers which include Robertson’s birth certificate, expired passports, and CVs 1912 1978, 1996 (Container 4, Files 83 84; Container 19, File 267 . Files pertaining to Robertson’s father’s role on the Court of Appeal of British Columbia are also included, 1943 (Container 20, File 285-286) as are documents recognizing Robertson’s acts of kindness in his personal life including one such incident where he exchanged his first class seat on Trans Canada Airlines for the coach seat of a sick child, 1963 (Container 1, File 24).

Of particular interest are the correspondence files photos, and news clippings in the form of a scrapbook, which circulated between Robertson’s father, his Uncle Ted Eberts, and Robertson discussing strategic plans for his career path, marriage, and financial situation, 1935-1936 (Container 4, File 91). Robertson also maintained a regular correspondence with his brother, Bruce, a lawyer in British Columbia, from whom he sought advice on such matters as the McGill Daily Affair and the Stanley Gray Dismissal, among more personal subject matters, 1939-1969, 1939-1989 (Container 8, File 165; (Container 11, File 194 ). Other personal correspondence consists of birthday cards, congratulatory cards for his many achievements, and letters from Family members and friends, 1953, 1955-1986, 1994-1997 (Container 4, File 94; Container 3, Files 61-62, 64-66, 68, 70; Container 8, File 173). Also of note is a letter from his neighbour James or “Jasper” Cross, in which Cross thanks Robertson for greeting him on his return from captivity during the FLQ crisis while congratulating Robertson on his wise decision to move to Ontario due to the perceived dangers to prominent Anglophones in Quebec (Container 3,
File 66).

This series also contains documents pertaining to Robertson’s properties, for example, photos of his numerous private residences, 1956 1971, 2001 (Container 4, Files 93, 111); information on the sale of “Struan”, his retirement home; as well as information on his investments and donations, including the division of his estate and chattels amongst family members, 1948-1998 (Container 3, Files 71-77). Personal letters received during his principalship discuss topics such as his mother’s declining health as well as letters from his nieces and nephews that recount such events as the loss of Toni Robertson’s baby teeth, 1962-1966 (Container 3, Files 60, 69). These letters reflect the space that Robertson reserved for his family, even during times of professional stress and turbulence.

His interest in his lineage is evident through files that document his family’s genealogy, including a detailed family tree, 1984-1994 (Container 4, Files 82, 86). This series contains documents in diverse formats, such as photos, travel brochures, and postcards from a family trip to Europe in 1958 (Container 4, Files 81, 89), as well as other vacations with friends and family (Container 15, Files 226 228, 232). Additional correspondence files, newspaper clippings, in the form of wedding announcements, and photographs pertain to family related events such as Robertson’s courtship and marriage to Beatrice Rosyln, 1935-1936 (Container 4, File 91), and to the celebration of the Robertsons’ Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary 1987 Container 2, File 43). Robertson’s courtship was largely documented through letters that circulated between his Uncle Ted, his father, and Thomas Arnold, Rolly’s father.

Several files, including health notes and medical charts on Robertson and his wife that were compiled by caregivers, 1997-1998 (Container 2, File 44), condolence letters and cards on the death of H. Rocke Robertson, 1998 (Container 2, File 45; Container 8, File 174), H. Rocke Robertson’s obituary, 1998 (Container 3, File 78), and memorial service, 1998 (Container 1, File 14) were added to the archives by Stuart Robertson following H. Rocke Robertson’s death.

Robertson’s interest in rare English dictionaries and his penchant for collecting are reflected in his personal library of dictionaries, numbering almost 500, which he donated to the University of British Columbia, 1986-1994 (Container 2, Files 38-40). Numerous articles and correspondence files reinforce his interest in this subject, 1976-1989, 1981, 1969-1991 (Container 2, Files 41, 58; Container 8, File 168). In particular, letters to his friend, Geoffrey Keynes, a William Blake Scholar and collector, suggest that Keynes may have been the stimulus for Robertson’ interest in collecting, 1989-1994 (Container 4, File 82). His membership in the Osler Society and the H. Rocke Robertson Rare Book Room in McGill’s Osler Library which houses Robertson’s rare book donation to McGill, coupled with conferences he attended on the history of medicine signify his interest in this topic, 1970-1998, 1927-2005, 1979 (Container 1, Files 15-18, 20; Container 3, Files 1/80 3/80; (Container 8, File 159). Robertson’s interest in the creative arts is reflected through the plethora of theatre and opera brochures and pamphlets that he preserved 1965-1983 (Container 15, File 231).

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