VT Stories Oral History with James "Bud" Robertson, June 8, 2018 (Ms2016-015)

VT Stories Oral History with James "Bud" Robertson, June 8, 2018 (Ms2016-015)

James "Bud" Robertson was born and raised in Danville, Virginia. There was a railroad close to his house, which led him to become interested in them (which he maintained throughout his entire life). The yardmaster understood his interest and offered to send Bud to college to become an engineer and work on the railroad, knowing that it would not happen. As a result, he went to Randolph-Macon College, graduating in 1955 with a bachelors in history. He went to Emory for both a graduate degree in 1956 and PhD in 1959.

After completing his dissertation, he worked in Washington for the Kennedy Administration until 1965. After getting sick of Washington D.C., he left for Montana for a tenured position. Bud's Virginia Tech story starts in 1967, where he got a position in the history department and stayed until retirement.

In this interview, along with his earlier years, Bud talks about his time working at the school, relationships with presidents and administrators, the athletic department, book collections, and current social issues.

Permission to publish material from the VT Stories Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech

Ms2016-015_BudRobertson

Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, Virginia Tech

Ren Harman

James "Bud" Robertson

Holtzman Alumni Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

01:19:30