The College notes with sadness the death of James I. “Bud” Robertson, Jr., Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, on November 2. Robertson joined the Virginia Tech community in 1967. He held the C.P. “Sally” Miles Professorship at Virginia Tech from 1976 until his appointment as Alumni Distinguished Professor in 1992. In 1999, Robertson became the founding director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies; his donation of most of his private collection of Civil War books helped establish a Civil War collection at the University Libraries at Virginia Tech. He was honored with emeritus status shortly after his retirement in 2011. The author of more than 40 books on the Civil War and a lecturer of national acclaim, Robertson was a dominant figure in his field. His course on the Civil War attracted an average of 300 students each semester and became the largest class of its kind in the nation at the time. During his 44-year career at Virginia Tech, he taught more than 25,000 students. Robertson earned his bachelor’s degree from Randolph-Macon College and his master’s and doctorate from Emory University. Additional information can be found in the VT News In memoriam as well as the obituary published in the Roanoke Times.