Clarence H. Robertson collection

Clarence Hovey Robertson was born on November 2, 1871, in Scranton, Iowa, to Mott Robertson and Henrietta Cool. Growing up, his family moved to several locations around the United States, including Albion, Michigan, Athol, South Dakota, and Helena, Montana. In 1890, he enrolled in the Agricultural College of South Dakota State University. From 1892 to 1893, during his junior and senior years, he worked as an assistant teacher in chemistry and physics at South Dakota State University. In 1893, as president of his class, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.

The following fall, Robertson enrolled at Purdue University to study mechanical engineering. From 1893 to 1897, Robertson participated in several varsity sports, including football, basketball, and track. He was awarded the state championship in 1894 for the 16-pound hammer throw and in 1895, he served as captain of the football team and track team. During his senior year, Robertson served as both president of the Purdue University Athletic Association, as well as the president of the class of 1895. “Big Robbie”, as he was colloquially known at Purdue University, earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1895.

During the following fall, Robertson started teaching in the mechanical engineering laboratory. After earning his master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1897, Robertson was promoted to Professor of Mechanical Engineering. In 1898, he married Edith Margaret Christianson and continued working at Purdue University until he was invited to complete missionary work in China by John R. Mott, the chairman of the International Committee of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).

In 1902, Robertson moved to Nanjing, China, where he worked for the International Committee of the YMCA, completing educational lectures on religion, scientific invention, and physics. The purpose of the lectures was to introduce Chinese citizens to Western science and the practice of Christianity. Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, he travelled extensively across China giving educational lectures. Additionally, he served as a faculty member at several Chinese universities. He taught English, physics, and physical education at the Imperial University of North China (1907-1908), the Nankai University in Tientsin (1908-1909), and the University of Nanking (1923-1924). During this period, Robertson also completed lecture tours in Russia (1917), Siberia (1917), Japan (1928), and the Philippines (1928). In 1931, he officially retired from the International Committee of the YMCA.

Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, Robertson periodically returned to the United States to take graduate courses in physics, science, religion, and education from the University of Wisconsin, University of Chicago, and the University of California Berkley. Additionally, in 1926, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in science from Purdue University.

In 1943, he became a physics professor at Purdue University. During this period, Roberston also lectured on the importance of invention and succeeding in higher education. He taught at Purdue University until his retirement in 1950. Clarence H. Robertson passed away on May 11, 1960, in Anderson, Indiana at the home of his son Robert C. Robertson.