Class of 1949. Carolyn [or Caroline] Robertson. Fauvines, Notre Maison, Chorus, Opera. ["Caroline Robertson" in 1949 yearbook] Listed as "Carolyn Robertson" she graduated in absentia or "absentee" from BYH on May 26, 1949. Source: 1949 BYH Graduation Exercises Program. ~ ~ ~ ~ Carolyn Robertson, estimated birth year 1931, was born in Utah. In the 1940 census, Carolyn, age 9, and her family were living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her parents were Hilton A. Robertson and Hazel M. Robertson. Another daughter, Carolyn's sister, Norma Robertson, four years older than Carolyn, graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1944. ~ ~ ~ ~ PART OF THE ROBERTSON FAMILY STORY: BY Muriel Jenkins Heal, “‘We Will Go’: The Robertson Response,” Ensign, Apr 1982, 32. Answering the first of many calls to serve peoples of the Far East in missionary service, Hilton A. Robertson and his wife Hazel first set foot on Japanese soil in June of 1921. Their love for the Oriental people would grow and deepen over a lifetime of sharing the gospel in Japan, China, Hawaii, and the United States. Five times a mission president, Brother Robertson, now 90, would likely be delighted to serve again if age and health permitted. Young Brother Hilton was reared on a twenty-acre sugarbeet farm in Springville, Utah. His father, Alexander, came as a seventeen-year-old convert from Scotland with his five brothers and widowed mother to Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1850, selling all their belongings at auction in order to make a fresh start among the Saints in America. “My father only gave me one sermon,” he reflected as I sat across from him. “He said to me, ‘Get your name on the tithing records of the Church and keep it there.’ My mother taught me faith and morality. I remember how faithful she was in serving the people as midwife at no charge. She gave her time to friends and strangers alike. This is what I saw … the sermons that I received from mother and father.” Elder Robertson was seated in his home surrounded by mementos of the Orient. A portrait of his wife-missionary companion, Hazel, who died in 1976 hung on the wall above his chair. “She was mine, I knew from the beginning.” He motioned toward the portrait. “Hazel and I wouldn’t have married so soon [both were in their early twenties] but her parents were moving to Idaho, and it was get her then, or. … We were married in 1912 in the Salt Lake Temple. Afterward we made our home in Springville until we went to Japan. “I had a patriarchal blessing in 1920. The patriarch said, ‘You will travel much for the gospel’s sake. You will travel by land and by sea.’ We figured then that I would get a call to go on a mission. “Of course, we didn’t have any idea that my wife would be going, but we had looked forward to and made preparations for my mission. When the call came to us both, we had to sell our home. I had saved the money to buy the house when we were married, and paid cash. With two of us going it wouldn’t take long to use up that $2,000. So I said, ‘We’ll go, and afterward the Lord will have to provide.’ ” The Japanese Mission had been opened up in 1901 by Elder Heber J. Grant and three missionaries. The language was the greatest barrier, and it usually took several years to become effective as a missionary; thus a mission term in Japan usually lasted five years. “The hardest thing I ever had to do was to tell my father goodbye, knowing I would probably not see him again,” President Robertson recalled. His father was ninety years old when they left. Hazel and Hilton Robertson were the first of several couples from Utah to be called to serve under President Lloyd O. Ivie in Japan at that time. They entered the harbor of Tokyo on the great ship Empress of Russia on 6 June 1921. “When we reached Japan, it was like moving into a new world. We could see the rickshas lined up on shore like baby buggies. There were oxcarts loaded heavily with merchandise to ship out; bicycles of all types, and men pulling heavy loads. In contrast were the electric lines overhead, airplanes above, and the great ships in the harbor. “The missionaries met us and guided us to the mission home, a very modest place. It was a two-story building, and meetings were held on the lower floor. Japanese customs were carried out in the mission home, except there were beds.” At that time there were conferences (branches) at Kofu, Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai, Sapporo, and one soon to be opened at Onomichi. Sunday School and sacrament meeting were held on Sunday morning, with “Saints’ meeting,” or “preaching meeting,” held in the evening. Street meetings were held frequently. Elder Robertson noted in his diary one week after arrival: “At a street meeting I distributed three hundred tracts introducing the work, and sold eighteen Bibles.” After a month in Tokyo, they were sent to Sapporo where they were told the streets of the city had been planned after the Salt Lake City system. There the climate was much like that of Utah, with vegetables and fruits like those found at home. Sunday School was well attended, with close to fifty people present most of the time. On Elder Robertson’s first tracting experience in Sapporo he delivered forty-four tracts, using this speech in Japanese: “I missionary, member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this district. Small book, free, I give to you. Please read it. I have been a trouble to you. Excuse me, good-bye.” He held the written speech in his hat the first few times for referral. Should anyone question him he would simply take leave, being unable to answer. After two months in Sapporo, the Robertsons were called to Osaka where they spent a year and a half and enjoyed an exceptional spirit of harmony and love among the people. There they taught classes on the life of Christ and Joseph Smith and on the New Testament and the Book of Mormon. Elder Robertson also taught English at Higashi Shoyo Gakko (East Side High School). It was an excellent opportunity for daily gospel discussions with thirty other teachers, students, and sometimes parents. On 1 September 1923 Elder Robertson and Elder Elwood Christensen had stopped at noon for an ice cream treat in the city of Osaka, when they felt the first jolt of the catastrophic earthquake that leveled Tokyo, Yokohama, and thirteen surrounding villages, leaving two million people huddled homeless on the outskirts of the smoldering ruins. In Osaka there was little damage, but because of crippled communications there was no word from the Tokyo district. After a few days of waiting, Elder Robertson took a train to Tokyo. He was required to take enough food for a week or he would not have been allowed to make the trip. After a long journey with many transfers he found the western suburb mission home of Yodobashi with everything intact and all Saints and missionaries unharmed. Less than two months later Elder Robertson received a letter appointing him to succeed Lloyd O. Ivie as president of the Japan Mission. After serving only a little more than two years in another country with a still-rudimentary knowledge of a strange language, to take over as mission president was a most humbling challenge. In his daily journal Elder Robertson wrote: “I feel keenly such responsibility and only through the help of my Father in Heaven could I be of any service in this great calling. I know that the Lord will make me equal to this calling if I devote myself to it in all sincerity and in humility, do my part. This I intend to do.” The next year, 1924, was a time of political unrest. Missionaries felt Japan’s growing hostility toward Americans, caused by new U.S. legislation prohibiting Japanese immigration. Church authorities soon closed the mission upon President Robertson’s recommendation. But he and Hazel loved the Japanese people and were confident that the groundwork laid in the mission’s first twenty-three years would not be wasted. The couple returned to Utah and became busily involved in community and church activities. They were blessed with children—two daughters, Norma and Carolyn. Brother Robertson served as a bishop, as a member of a stake presidency, and as a county commissioner for two terms. Then, in November 1936, a call came for the Robertsons to reopen the Japanese Mission with headquarters in Honolulu. This time there were not only a home and furnishings to sell, but an insurance business—and two small girls to take out of school. Brother Robertson recorded in his diary upon receiving the call: “I have felt that there were others far more qualified than I to take charge of the work, but there is only one thing to do, and that is to accept. “Our parents [his mother and Hazel’s mother and father] are old and even though we are privileged to see them again, we will be separated from them during years we would love to be with them and help in a measure to repay them for the many sacrifices they have made to make our lives more complete and happy. Our parting with them will be our hardest task.” With the cooperation of President Francis Bailey, president of the Hawaiian Mission, separate headquarters were set up, and in a few months the two missions were functioning independently. A handful of Church members were found among the 150,000 Japanese in Hawaii, and at the first meeting of the Japanese Mission held under the direction of President Robertson, twenty Japanese members were in attendance. In April 1939, after much preparation with letters from U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Utah state senators, and others, President Robertson was sent to Japan to assure the Saints that the General Authorities were interested in their welfare and that the time would come when missionaries would again labor in their land. In the month spent there, he visited many members in their homes. (Organized meetings were not allowed by the Imperial government.) There were ordinances to be performed, including many baptisms requested for children and relatives. The president spent many hours looking for appropriate white clothing to be used in performing the first baptism, and finally used his newly laundered white pajamas. One sister was able to take the sacrament for the first time in twenty-one years. Just before President Robertson’s return to Hawaii, a worthy priest was ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood, making a pair of elders who could carry on the ordinances of the priesthood. “It was hard to hide the tears at parting, but as I visited with the different Saints,” he recalled, “I could see that the cleanliness of their thought and living had had a decided effect upon their entire physical makeup. There was a look of contentment and satisfaction written upon each face.” It was this trip to Japan in 1939 that made it possible for the Church to enter Japan after World War II. President Robertson said that had the Church not sent missionaries to keep in touch with members at that time, the U.S. Occupational Forces would not have permitted missionary work to resume in 1948 under the direction of President Edward L. Clissold. The Robertsons returned to Provo, Utah, after three and one-half years in Hawaii, leaving a well-established mission home, fifty missionaries, and two fully-organized branches of Japanese members. Life in Utah began again with a new business in real estate and insurance and an opportunity to serve a second time as a bishop. Then in February 1949 they received a call to come to Salt Lake City. “I met Brother David O. McKay in his office at the appointed hour. We talked about the Orient and more especially about the Chinese,” related President Robertson, “and whom I thought would be the most likely person in the Church to send to China. I gave him four names. He said ‘Brother Robertson, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve have considered the feasibility of opening the Chinese Mission after much sincere and thoughtful prayer, and they were unanimous in feeling that you should be sent to open that mission. They feel that you know more about the Oriental people than any other man in the Church.’ ” In July they arrived in Hong Kong with Brother and Sister Henry Aki of Honolulu. Brother Aki was a faithful Chinese member of the Church chosen to serve as first counselor. On July 14 Elder Matthew Cowley officially opened the mission, on top of a mountain they called the Peak. In attendance were Elder and Sister Cowley, President and Sister Robertson and daughter Carolyn, and Elder and Sister Henry Aki. The challenge of learning a difficult language, establishing a mission home, and preparing the way for missionaries was again upon them. By the next February they greeted their first missionaries, Elder William Paalani from Honolulu and Herald Grant Heaton from Salt Lake City. A poignant note written by one of the first Chinese investigators reflected the sincerity of those first few students of English and gospel principles: “I glad learn English from you, and more glad listen the truth of Christian in your speech.” The work in Hong Kong progressed slowly and with even more difficulty as communist activity increased, and with the outbreak of the Korean War. In May 1951 the Robertsons left Hong Kong on a fourth assignment to open a Chinese Mission headquarters in Chinatown, San Francisco. Brother and Sister Robertson felt that China had been their greatest challenge. He told President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., and President McKay, who were both horsemen, this story to illustrate: “A woman went to the stables and asked for a horse but warned the stable boy she had never ridden a horse. The boy answered: ‘Oh, don’t let that worry you; I have a horse that’s never been ridden, and you two can work it out together.’ ” The Robertsons had had no friends, no openings, no literature of any kind, and didn’t speak the language. But they had worked it out “together.” After two years the Chinatown mission was transferred to the San Francisco Stake Mission, and in January 1953 the Robertsons headed home to Utah to await a forthcoming assignment. When it came six months later, the call sent them once more to their beloved Japan. On 10 September 1953 President David O. McKay set them apart to preside over the Japanese and Chinese Missions including the Philippine Islands, Korea, Guam, and Okinawa, with headquarters in Tokyo. At that time, President McKay told him: “You have rendered service in the past that will reverberate in the hearts of men and women with whom you have come in contact, for years and probably ages to come. Your service, and that of your dear wife, will continue to go from soul to soul resulting in the conversion, comfort, and peace of many souls. You have demonstrated to the Lord your willingness to lose yourselves in the service of the Master, and you are entitled to the blessings implied in the Savior’s remarks: ‘He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.’ ” The next three years were truly a time of fulfillment. World War II had left its mark upon the Japanese people and the world. There was a general turning toward religion, a seeking for truth. U.S. servicemen and their families in the Far East area were doing a great missionary service on their own, supporting eighteen full-time Japanese missionaries in Japan and the islands of the area. President Robertson was given travel priority rating of Brigadier General for ease in traveling to servicemen’s conferences and to maintain contact with the far areas of the mission. The Church began to grow, for the field was ready for the harvest. Sister Emma Rae McKay asked President Robertson immediately after one of their many calls to serve, “What do you think about all these calls you get to go?” “Oh, we don’t think,” came the response. “The call comes, we just say ‘Okay!’ and we go.” The answer was typical of the Robertsons. Source.

Class of 1915. Ella Robertson. She received a BYH Normal Certificate in 1915. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 8, page 413.

Brigham Young High School, Class of 1907. Jessie Robertson received a Normal Diploma. Source: Students Record of Class Standings B.Y. Academy, Book 2, Page 276. ~ ~ ~ ~ BYH Class of 1907. Jessie Robertson, a Normal graduate. BYU [& BYH] Class of 1907 Listing of BYH Normal, High School, Commercial, Music, Agriculture, and Arts & Trades graduates. Source: Brigham Young University & Normal Training School, Catalogue & Announcements, for 32nd Academic Year, 1907-1908, p. 136. ~ ~ ~ ~ Jessie Robertson was born on January 23, 1887 in Springville, Utah. Her parents were Alexander Robertson and Lucy Maria Smith Robertson. Jessie Robertson married Nephi James Wadley on June 10, 1908 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jessie Robertson Wadley died on April 27, 1981 in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Her interment, Pleasant Grove, Utah.

Collegiate Grad of BYU, Class of 1928. John Wesley Robertson. He received a BS Degree in 1928. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 10, page 42.

Class of 1914. Leon Robertson. Graduated in 1914 from Brigham Young High School, Academic Department. Source 1: 1914 BYU Banyan, BYH section, pp. 84-89. ~ ~ ~ ~ Class of 1914. J. Leon Robertson. He received a BYH Agriculture Diploma in 1914. Source 2: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 8, page 24.

Class of 1916. Leroy J. Robertson. He received a High School Diploma from the BYH Music Department in 1916. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 9, page 79. ~ ~ ~ ~ 1996 NEWS ARTICLE: Composer Portrayed Lovingly in Biography. By William S. Goodfellow, Deseret News Music Critic. "A year ago [in 1995] I did a story on a new CD of some of Leroy Robertson's compositions - the first recording of any of his music in years - and immediately afterward people began asking me where they could find out more about this man who was once considered Utah's foremost composer. Well, a good place to start would be this new biography by his daughter, Marian Robertson Wilson. Issued in time for the Utah Centennial - which also happens to be the 100th anniversary of Robertson's birth - it recounts in loving detail the early years in Fountain Green, where he made his first violin from a cigar box; his move to Pleasant Grove, then to Brigham Young High School; his years with Chadwick at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he won the Endicott Prize for his Overture in E minor; and his eventual return to Utah, climaxed by his being named the winner of the $25,000 Reichhold Award for his ``Trilogy'' in 1947, a feat that garnered him international attention. That is a long way from the slopes of Sanpete County, where Robertson penned much of his music while tending sheep. And in between come fateful encounters with everyone from LDS apostle Melvin J. Ballard, whose comments planted the seed that would later grow into the ``Oratorio From the Book of Mormon,'' to composers Ernest Bloch and Arnold Schoenberg and newly appointed Utah Symphony conductor Maurice Abravanel, who would become Robertson's most ardent champion. I wouldn't have minded more analysis, especially of some of the pieces. Nor does the prose always flow as it might. But the man himself emerges from these pages, as do behind-the-scenes glimpses of such things as when Robertson left BYU in 1948 to take the chairmanship of the University of Utah Music Department - largely to help build both the U. program and the Utah Symphony - and the eventual mounting by the latter of the ``Book of Mormon'' Oratorio, which had at one point been scheduled for the 1947 Pioneer Centennial, only to be replaced by Crawford Gates' ``Promised Valley'' - something Robertson learned by reading it in the newspaper. Indeed, if there is a subtext in this book, it may be one of dashed hopes and missed opportunities. Again and again one reads of promised performances of Robertson music by the likes of Milstein, Menuhin and Stokowski, performances that never materialized. One also cannot help but wonder if Robertson was right not to go for the Rome Prize that Chadwick wanted to put him up for in his student days and to reject the offers that were put before him after his subsequent out-of-state successes (including the directorship of the Cleveland Institute of Music). Of course, if he hadn't, music in Utah would have been the poorer. And not just because of his music but also because of the countless composers and musicians he influenced during his years here (including yours truly). Factual errors, like typos, appear to be minor - things like attributing the Utah Symphony's pioneering ``Judas Maccabaeus'' recording to Westminster, when actually it was for the Handel Society. (The Westminster recording came later.) Or referring to those early Kingsbury Hall opera productions as having ``laid the foundation for what would become Opera West,'' when what is meant is almost certainly Utah Opera. More bothersome is the lack of a complete list of published compositions and/or recordings of Robertson's music (though several are referred to in the text itself). After all, just as those who hear the music may want to read the book, those who read the book may want to hear the music. And they need to know how." [Published in the Deseret News, Sunday, September 29, 1996.] ~ ~ ~ ~ Leroy Jasper Robertson was born on December 21, 1896 in Fountain Green, Sanpete County, Utah. His parents were Jasper Heber Robertson and Alice Almyra Adams Robertson. Leroy married Maggie Naomi Nelson (sic) on September 1, 1925 in Milton, Morgan County, Utah. Maggie was born on December 18, 1900 in Milton, Utah. Her parents were Waldemar Theador Nielson (sic) and Karen Marie Jensen Nielson (sic). Leroy J. Robertson died on July 25, 1971 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His interment, Salt Lake City, Utah [or American Fork, Utah]. ~ ~ ~ ~ BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Leroy Jasper Robertson was born to Jasper Heber Robertson and Alice Almyra Adams Robertson in December of 1896 at Fountain Green, Utah. Fountain Green is a small community located in a mountain valley approximately 100 miles south of Salt Lake City. The family were descendants of the Utah pioneers. A love of music was evident early in Leroy's childhood. It is said that as a youth he herded sheep for his father in the west desert of Utah and his experiences there were later believed to have influenced some of his music. His parents evidently were not wealthy but supported the development of Leroy's talent away from home. He is said to have studied first under Anthony C. Lund and had gained a reputation as a violinist when he graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1916. He made his way to Boston to attend the New England Conservatory of Music, graduating in 1923. Leroy returned to Utah to teach and supervise music education in public schools until being appointed to the faculty of Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1925. This same year he married Naomi Nelson and they were eventually blessed with four children. During his time at BYU he served as director of the school of music from 1935 - 1936 and 1946-1947. He continued his own studies at home and abroad and received bachelor's and masters degrees from BYU in 1932. In 1948 he left BYU and accepted a position at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. One of his reasons for doing so was to assist his friend Maurice Abravanel in the development of the Utah Symphony Orchestra. Leroy served as chairman of the University of Utah Department of Music from 1948 to 1962, and is noted to have taken the curriculum to national accreditation standards. Together with Abravanel and William Christensen, co-founder of Ballet West, he is credited with helping lift Utah into national prominence in the arts. In 1953 Maurice Abravanel, in an act of encouragement to his friend, scheduled a performance for the Utah Symphony to debut Leroy Robertson's 'Oratorio from the Book of Mormon,' thus forcing the composer to put the finishing touches on the work that he had begun over thirty years earlier. The concept had come from a conversation with a church leader, Melvin J. Ballard, during a train journey in 1919. His daughter relates the account of how one of his most well-known pieces from the oratorio, his setting of "The Lord's Prayer" came to him as he picked up chalk in an advanced music class he was teaching. The words and music setting entered his mind and came so rapidly that he scarcely could capture it, but just as the bell rang he finished notating the piece on the chalkboard. Not too overwhelmed to be practical, he immediately copied it down on manuscript paper to avoid the chance of it being erased by the evening custodians. Much of the composition work for the oratorio, however, was done at home, amid the activities of the family. The debut was a success and the oratorio was very popular locally. A commercial recording by the Utah Symphony in 1961 brought wider prominence and it was performed elsewhere. The setting of "The Lord's Prayer" from the oratorio was recorded by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and released as a 45 single (phonograph record). Leroy continued learning and completed a PhD at the University of Southern California in 1954. He wrote many compositions for orchestra, choir and piano performances, along with hymn tunes, and one hymn text. He received numerous awards during his career. In addition to his more public professional endeavors, Leroy was a member of the General Music Committee of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) for over thirty years and served as its chairman for a time. Leroy Robertson was described as tall and in addition to being a warm and caring family man, was noted as a gifted and devoted teacher who cared about his students, helping them develop their talents. His students included some who became well known, such as Crawford Gates, Robert Cundick, Darwin Wolford and his daughter, Marian Robertson-Wilson. The remarkable life of Leroy J. Robertson drew to a close in July of 1971. His music continues to uplift and encourage today, with eight of his hymn tunes included in the current LDS hymnal. Source

Class of 1944. Marion Robertson. [Female]

Class of 1963. Mary Lynn Robertson. Drama, Girls Glee Club, Chorus, Seminary Graduate, Thespians, F.H.A. BYU BS Education 1976. International Folkdancer. She married ______ Sellers. @2008 ~ ~ ~ ~ Email sent to marylusellers@aol.com bounced back. @2010

Class of 1944. Norma Robertson. Norma's estimated birth year was 1927, and she was born in Utah. In the 1940 Census, Norma, age 13, and her family were living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her adoptive parents were Hilton A. Robertson and Hazel M. Robertson. Her sister, Carolyn Robertson, four years younger, graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1949. On the 1930 Census, Norma Robertson, age 3, is listed as their adopted daughter. ~ ~ ~ ~ PART OF THE ROBERTSON FAMILY STORY: BY Muriel Jenkins Heal, “‘We Will Go’: The Robertson Response,” Ensign, Apr 1982, 32. Answering the first of many calls to serve peoples of the Far East in missionary service, Hilton A. Robertson and his wife Hazel first set foot on Japanese soil in June of 1921. Their love for the Oriental people would grow and deepen over a lifetime of sharing the gospel in Japan, China, Hawaii, and the United States. Five times a mission president, Brother Robertson, now 90, would likely be delighted to serve again if age and health permitted. Young Brother Hilton was reared on a twenty-acre sugarbeet farm in Springville, Utah. His father, Alexander, came as a seventeen-year-old convert from Scotland with his five brothers and widowed mother to Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1850, selling all their belongings at auction in order to make a fresh start among the Saints in America. “My father only gave me one sermon,” he reflected as I sat across from him. “He said to me, ‘Get your name on the tithing records of the Church and keep it there.’ My mother taught me faith and morality. I remember how faithful she was in serving the people as midwife at no charge. She gave her time to friends and strangers alike. This is what I saw … the sermons that I received from mother and father.” Elder Robertson was seated in his home surrounded by mementos of the Orient. A portrait of his wife-missionary companion, Hazel, who died in 1976 hung on the wall above his chair. “She was mine, I knew from the beginning.” He motioned toward the portrait. “Hazel and I wouldn’t have married so soon [both were in their early twenties] but her parents were moving to Idaho, and it was get her then, or. … We were married in 1912 in the Salt Lake Temple. Afterward we made our home in Springville until we went to Japan. “I had a patriarchal blessing in 1920. The patriarch said, ‘You will travel much for the gospel’s sake. You will travel by land and by sea.’ We figured then that I would get a call to go on a mission. “Of course, we didn’t have any idea that my wife would be going, but we had looked forward to and made preparations for my mission. When the call came to us both, we had to sell our home. I had saved the money to buy the house when we were married, and paid cash. With two of us going it wouldn’t take long to use up that $2,000. So I said, ‘We’ll go, and afterward the Lord will have to provide.’ ” The Japanese Mission had been opened up in 1901 by Elder Heber J. Grant and three missionaries. The language was the greatest barrier, and it usually took several years to become effective as a missionary; thus a mission term in Japan usually lasted five years. “The hardest thing I ever had to do was to tell my father goodbye, knowing I would probably not see him again,” President Robertson recalled. His father was ninety years old when they left. Hazel and Hilton Robertson were the first of several couples from Utah to be called to serve under President Lloyd O. Ivie in Japan at that time. They entered the harbor of Tokyo on the great ship Empress of Russia on 6 June 1921. “When we reached Japan, it was like moving into a new world. We could see the rickshas lined up on shore like baby buggies. There were oxcarts loaded heavily with merchandise to ship out; bicycles of all types, and men pulling heavy loads. In contrast were the electric lines overhead, airplanes above, and the great ships in the harbor. “The missionaries met us and guided us to the mission home, a very modest place. It was a two-story building, and meetings were held on the lower floor. Japanese customs were carried out in the mission home, except there were beds.” At that time there were conferences (branches) at Kofu, Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai, Sapporo, and one soon to be opened at Onomichi. Sunday School and sacrament meeting were held on Sunday morning, with “Saints’ meeting,” or “preaching meeting,” held in the evening. Street meetings were held frequently. Elder Robertson noted in his diary one week after arrival: “At a street meeting I distributed three hundred tracts introducing the work, and sold eighteen Bibles.” After a month in Tokyo, they were sent to Sapporo where they were told the streets of the city had been planned after the Salt Lake City system. There the climate was much like that of Utah, with vegetables and fruits like those found at home. Sunday School was well attended, with close to fifty people present most of the time. On Elder Robertson’s first tracting experience in Sapporo he delivered forty-four tracts, using this speech in Japanese: “I missionary, member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this district. Small book, free, I give to you. Please read it. I have been a trouble to you. Excuse me, good-bye.” He held the written speech in his hat the first few times for referral. Should anyone question him he would simply take leave, being unable to answer. After two months in Sapporo, the Robertsons were called to Osaka where they spent a year and a half and enjoyed an exceptional spirit of harmony and love among the people. There they taught classes on the life of Christ and Joseph Smith and on the New Testament and the Book of Mormon. Elder Robertson also taught English at Higashi Shoyo Gakko (East Side High School). It was an excellent opportunity for daily gospel discussions with thirty other teachers, students, and sometimes parents. On 1 September 1923 Elder Robertson and Elder Elwood Christensen had stopped at noon for an ice cream treat in the city of Osaka, when they felt the first jolt of the catastrophic earthquake that leveled Tokyo, Yokohama, and thirteen surrounding villages, leaving two million people huddled homeless on the outskirts of the smoldering ruins. In Osaka there was little damage, but because of crippled communications there was no word from the Tokyo district. After a few days of waiting, Elder Robertson took a train to Tokyo. He was required to take enough food for a week or he would not have been allowed to make the trip. After a long journey with many transfers he found the western suburb mission home of Yodobashi with everything intact and all Saints and missionaries unharmed. Less than two months later Elder Robertson received a letter appointing him to succeed Lloyd O. Ivie as president of the Japan Mission. After serving only a little more than two years in another country with a still-rudimentary knowledge of a strange language, to take over as mission president was a most humbling challenge. In his daily journal Elder Robertson wrote: “I feel keenly such responsibility and only through the help of my Father in Heaven could I be of any service in this great calling. I know that the Lord will make me equal to this calling if I devote myself to it in all sincerity and in humility, do my part. This I intend to do.” The next year, 1924, was a time of political unrest. Missionaries felt Japan’s growing hostility toward Americans, caused by new U.S. legislation prohibiting Japanese immigration. Church authorities soon closed the mission upon President Robertson’s recommendation. But he and Hazel loved the Japanese people and were confident that the groundwork laid in the mission’s first twenty-three years would not be wasted. The couple returned to Utah and became busily involved in community and church activities. They were blessed with children—two daughters, Norma and Carolyn. Brother Robertson served as a bishop, as a member of a stake presidency, and as a county commissioner for two terms. Then, in November 1936, a call came for the Robertsons to reopen the Japanese Mission with headquarters in Honolulu. This time there were not only a home and furnishings to sell, but an insurance business—and two small girls to take out of school. Brother Robertson recorded in his diary upon receiving the call: “I have felt that there were others far more qualified than I to take charge of the work, but there is only one thing to do, and that is to accept. “Our parents [his mother and Hazel’s mother and father] are old and even though we are privileged to see them again, we will be separated from them during years we would love to be with them and help in a measure to repay them for the many sacrifices they have made to make our lives more complete and happy. Our parting with them will be our hardest task.” With the cooperation of President Francis Bailey, president of the Hawaiian Mission, separate headquarters were set up, and in a few months the two missions were functioning independently. A handful of Church members were found among the 150,000 Japanese in Hawaii, and at the first meeting of the Japanese Mission held under the direction of President Robertson, twenty Japanese members were in attendance. In April 1939, after much preparation with letters from U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Utah state senators, and others, President Robertson was sent to Japan to assure the Saints that the General Authorities were interested in their welfare and that the time would come when missionaries would again labor in their land. In the month spent there, he visited many members in their homes. (Organized meetings were not allowed by the Imperial government.) There were ordinances to be performed, including many baptisms requested for children and relatives. The president spent many hours looking for appropriate white clothing to be used in performing the first baptism, and finally used his newly laundered white pajamas. One sister was able to take the sacrament for the first time in twenty-one years. Just before President Robertson’s return to Hawaii, a worthy priest was ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood, making a pair of elders who could carry on the ordinances of the priesthood. “It was hard to hide the tears at parting, but as I visited with the different Saints,” he recalled, “I could see that the cleanliness of their thought and living had had a decided effect upon their entire physical makeup. There was a look of contentment and satisfaction written upon each face.” It was this trip to Japan in 1939 that made it possible for the Church to enter Japan after World War II. President Robertson said that had the Church not sent missionaries to keep in touch with members at that time, the U.S. Occupational Forces would not have permitted missionary work to resume in 1948 under the direction of President Edward L. Clissold. The Robertsons returned to Provo, Utah, after three and one-half years in Hawaii, leaving a well-established mission home, fifty missionaries, and two fully-organized branches of Japanese members. Life in Utah began again with a new business in real estate and insurance and an opportunity to serve a second time as a bishop. Then in February 1949 they received a call to come to Salt Lake City. “I met Brother David O. McKay in his office at the appointed hour. We talked about the Orient and more especially about the Chinese,” related President Robertson, “and whom I thought would be the most likely person in the Church to send to China. I gave him four names. He said ‘Brother Robertson, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve have considered the feasibility of opening the Chinese Mission after much sincere and thoughtful prayer, and they were unanimous in feeling that you should be sent to open that mission. They feel that you know more about the Oriental people than any other man in the Church.’ ” In July they arrived in Hong Kong with Brother and Sister Henry Aki of Honolulu. Brother Aki was a faithful Chinese member of the Church chosen to serve as first counselor. On July 14 Elder Matthew Cowley officially opened the mission, on top of a mountain they called the Peak. In attendance were Elder and Sister Cowley, President and Sister Robertson and daughter Carolyn, and Elder and Sister Henry Aki. The challenge of learning a difficult language, establishing a mission home, and preparing the way for missionaries was again upon them. By the next February they greeted their first missionaries, Elder William Paalani from Honolulu and Herald Grant Heaton from Salt Lake City. A poignant note written by one of the first Chinese investigators reflected the sincerity of those first few students of English and gospel principles: “I glad learn English from you, and more glad listen the truth of Christian in your speech.” The work in Hong Kong progressed slowly and with even more difficulty as communist activity increased, and with the outbreak of the Korean War. In May 1951 the Robertsons left Hong Kong on a fourth assignment to open a Chinese Mission headquarters in Chinatown, San Francisco. Brother and Sister Robertson felt that China had been their greatest challenge. He told President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., and President McKay, who were both horsemen, this story to illustrate: “A woman went to the stables and asked for a horse but warned the stable boy she had never ridden a horse. The boy answered: ‘Oh, don’t let that worry you; I have a horse that’s never been ridden, and you two can work it out together.’ ” The Robertsons had had no friends, no openings, no literature of any kind, and didn’t speak the language. But they had worked it out “together.” After two years the Chinatown mission was transferred to the San Francisco Stake Mission, and in January 1953 the Robertsons headed home to Utah to await a forthcoming assignment. When it came six months later, the call sent them once more to their beloved Japan. On 10 September 1953 President David O. McKay set them apart to preside over the Japanese and Chinese Missions including the Philippine Islands, Korea, Guam, and Okinawa, with headquarters in Tokyo. At that time, President McKay told him: “You have rendered service in the past that will reverberate in the hearts of men and women with whom you have come in contact, for years and probably ages to come. Your service, and that of your dear wife, will continue to go from soul to soul resulting in the conversion, comfort, and peace of many souls. You have demonstrated to the Lord your willingness to lose yourselves in the service of the Master, and you are entitled to the blessings implied in the Savior’s remarks: ‘He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.’ ” The next three years were truly a time of fulfillment. World War II had left its mark upon the Japanese people and the world. There was a general turning toward religion, a seeking for truth. U.S. servicemen and their families in the Far East area were doing a great missionary service on their own, supporting eighteen full-time Japanese missionaries in Japan and the islands of the area. President Robertson was given travel priority rating of Brigadier General for ease in traveling to servicemen’s conferences and to maintain contact with the far areas of the mission. The Church began to grow, for the field was ready for the harvest. Sister Emma Rae McKay asked President Robertson immediately after one of their many calls to serve, “What do you think about all these calls you get to go?” “Oh, we don’t think,” came the response. “The call comes, we just say ‘Okay!’ and we go.” The answer was typical of the Robertsons. Source.

B. Y. Academy High School Commercial Graduate, Class of 1901, Brigham Young University Graduate, Class of 1909. Alfred Andrew Robinson. In May of 1901 he received a "Commercial College Diploma" -- a High School Diploma with an emphasis in Business. Source: Students Record of Class Standings B. Y. Academy, Book 1, Page 156. ~ ~ ~ ~ Brigham Young University Graduate, Class of 1909. Alfred Andrew Robinson. He received a B.A. Degree from BYU. Source: Students Record of Class Standings B.Y. Academy, Book 1, page 156. ~ ~ ~ ~ Alfred Andrew Robinson was born on October 5, 1881, in American Fork, Utah. His parents were George Heber Robinson and Margaret Crystal Robinson. Alfred A. Robinson married twice: to Hazel Alta Adylott [or Aydelotte] on January 7, 1924 in Ogden, Utah; and to Sylvia Garner. Alfred A. Robinson died on December 23, 1945. His sister, May Robinson Gillespie, graduated from Brigham Young Academy high school in 1903, and his brother, Dr. Heber Edward Robinson, also received a B.A. Degree from BYU also in 1909.

BY Academy High School Class of 1884 and 1885. Edward Robinson. Graduated Friday, June 13, 1884, with a Normal diploma. Source: Territorial Enquirer, Friday, June 13, 1884. ~ ~ ~ ~ BY Academy High School Class of 1885. Edward (middle initial W. in one place, E. in another place) Robinson received a Teacher's Certificate. Source: 1. Deseret News, June 25, 1885. 2. Territorial Enquirer, June 12, 1885. ~ ~ ~ ~ Edward William Robinson was born July 10, 1866 in American Fork, Utah. His parents were Edward Robinson and Sarah Elizabeth Harrington Robinson. He married Elizabeth Rachel Holdaway on July 20, 1887 in Logan, Utah. He died on April 10, 1924 in Midvale, Utah. Interment, Logan, Utah.

Class of 1931. Elma Robinson. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ [Incorrectly listed as Class of 1929 in the 1929 BYU Banyan, High School section.] Elma was a member of the BYH Peppettes during the 1930-1931 school year. She played a part in the annual BYH play, "The Youngest", presented in College Hall on December 12, 1930. Source: BYU Banyan 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ Elma Robinson was born May 27, 1913 in Preston, Idaho. Her parents were John Robert Robinson and Mary E. Calder. She died on January 12, 1967.

Class of 1934. Elwin Robinson. ~ ~ ~ ~ Dennison Elwin Robinson was born on April 27, 1913 in Junction, Piute County, Utah. His parents were Dennison Harris Robinson and Gladys Cordelia Blake. He married Vadis Romania Allen on August 24, 1932 in Randolph, Utah. He died on April 8, 1992, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Interment, Salt Lake City, Utah. HIS WIFE'S OBITUARY: Vadis Romania Allen Robinson died Oct. 22, 1997 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Born July 15, 1909 in Kingston, Utah to Rufus A. and Helena Christensen Allen. Married Dennison Elwin (Elwin) Robinson, August 24, 1932 in Randolph, Utah. A member of the LDS Church. Graduated from the LDS Hospital School of Nursing in 1931. Spent most of her life in public health nursing. Survived by sons: E. Allyn, Layton, Utah; R. Clark, Bountiful, Utah; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild; sisters, Norda Millett, Kingston, Utah; Vola Harris, Logan, Utah; Karen Harris, Phoenix, Arizona; brothers, Gerald Allen, Kingston, Utah; Reed Allen, Phoenix, Arizona; and a family of blue jays in the back yard. Preceded in death by a son, Larry Lynn and her husband. Funeral was held Monday, Oct. 27, 1997, in Salt Lake City. Interment, Larkin Sunset Lawn Cemetery. [Deseret News, Friday, October 24, 1997.]

Class of 1912. Eunice Robinson, of Oakley, Idaho. Graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1912. Source 1: 1912 BYU Mizpah, BYH section, photos and names on pp. 1 - 62, 105. ~ ~ ~ ~ Class of 1912. Eunice Robinson. She received a High School Diploma in 1912. Source 2: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 6, page 49.

Class of 1975. Gary Robinson. BYU 1989. Gary R. Robinson.

Class of 1935. George Robinson. BYU 1940. George B. Robinson. His parents: Congressman J. William Robinson (D, UT 1932-1948) and Emily Deborah (Birda) Billings Robinson, married September 16, 1905. They had six children: 1. William Junius Robinson, born June 4, 1906 in Jensen, Uintah County, Utah, and died February 2, 1996 in Kensington, Maryland; 2. Ronald Billings Robinson, born December 10, 1908 in Heber, Utah, and died November 2, 1909; 3. Ruth Robinson [BYH Class of 1931] (Robert F.) Harris, born May 20, 1913 in Provo, Utah, and died September 26, 2005, in Escondido, California; 4. George B. Robinson [BYH Class of 1935], born about 1917; 5. Maree Robinson, [female] born September 16, 1919 in Provo, Utah, and died on December 18, 1989 in Bethesda, Maryland, interment in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia; and 6. John Billings Robinson, born February 18, 1924 in Provo Utah, and died March 9, 1924 in Provo. ~ ~ ~ ~ HIS OBITUARY: George Billings Robinson , 91, passed peacefully from this life on August 19, 2007. He was a husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, good friend to many and was loved by his family. George was born April 27, 1916 in Provo, Utah to J. William Robinson and Emily Deborah Billings Robinson. He graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1935. He married Flo Ellerton Robinson on September 21, 1938. They were later sealed to each other for time and eternity in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on August 30, 1957. He has now joined his beloved Flo who preceded him in death in December of 2002. George was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II and was stationed in the Aleutian Islands. He spent the majority of his working career as an officer at the Title Insurance Agency of Utah. He retired in 1981, and with his wife Flo, enjoyed many adventures in their motor home as they traveled throughout the western United States and Canada with their many friends. They also found time to travel to Europe and the Far East and enjoyed the friendship, opportunities and challenges afforded to them through these trips. They enjoyed golf and were former members of Willow Creek Country Club. He was blessed to have the companionship of many lifetime friends through bridge, dinner, and dance clubs and to be able to share these experiences with Flo. He was an active member of the LDS Church and served many organizations. One of his greatest joys was the simple virtue of serving as a frequent patron at the temple. George is survived by their three children: Michael G. Robinson (Suzanne Elliott) Chesterfield, Missouri; Reed Robinson (Theresa Martinez) Salt Lake; Lisa Ann Moffat (Kayle) Medford, Oregon; and nine grandchildren: Gregory Robinson (Nancy); Heather Macy (Bill); Lessa Gillespie (Edgel); Bart Robinson (Dana); Kathryn Butler (Mark); Michael, Annie, Chase, and Megan Moffat; and 12 great-grand-children. His brother-in-law Keith J. Ellertson (Elaine Grover) also survives George. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Flo, his parents, three brothers and two sisters. Graveside services were conducted Thursday, August 30, 2007, at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, Mountain View Section. [Deseret News, August 28, 2007.]

B. Y. Academy High School Graduate, Class of 1901, Brigham Young University Graduate, Class of 1909. Heber Edward Robinsen [actually Robinson]. In May of 1901 he received a "Normal Diploma". Source: Students Record of Class Standings B. Y. Academy, Book 1, page 136. ~ ~ ~ ~ Brigham Young University Graduate, Class of 1909. Heber Edward Robinson. Received a B.A. Degree. Source: Student Record of Class Standings B.Y. Academy, Book 1, Page 136. ~ ~ ~ ~ Heber Edward Robinson was born on January 20, 1880 in American Fork, Utah. His parents were George Heber Robinson and Margaret Crystal Robinson. Heber E. Robinson married Lula Matilda Trane on October 31, 1906. Lula Trane Robinson died on November 2, 1940, and her interment, American Fork, Utah. Dr. Heber E. Robinson died on December 8, His interment, American Fork, Utah. His sister, May Robinson Gillespie, graduated from Brigham Young Academy high school in the Class of 1903. His brother, Alfred Andrew Robinson, also received a B.A. Degree from BYU also in 1909.

Class of 1935. Helen Robinson. Student Body Secretary & Historian in the 1933-1934 year. President, Peppette Club. School Play. She served as Vice President of the Sophomore class in the 1932-1933 school year. ~ ~ ~ ~ The BYH graduation date of Helen Robinson confirmed in graduating class list, Salt Lake Telegram, May 7, 1935, p. 14 ~ ~ ~ ~ Helen Robinson was born November 9, 1915, in American Fork, Utah. Her parents were George Edward Robinson and Lillian Jeffs Robinson. She married Monroe Hampton and Orson Orel Nerdin. Orson Orel Nerdin was born February 17, 1918 in Pleasant Grove, Utah. He died in February of 1977 in Pleasant Grove, Utah. His parents were Thomas Hyrum Nerdin and Julia Mott Nerdin. Helen died on June 6, 1988.

Brigham Young High School, Classes of 1905 and 1906. J. Robert Robinson. In 1905 he also received a Certificate in Elocution. Source: Students Record of Class Standings B. Y. Academy, Book 2, page 139. ~ ~ ~ ~ Brigham Young High School, Class of 1906. J. Robert Robinson. He received a Normal Diploma. Source: Students Record of Class Standings B.Y. Academy, Book 2, Page 139. ~ ~ ~ ~ BYH Class of 1906. J. Robert Robinson, a Normal graduate. BYU [& BYH] Class of 1906 Listing of BYH Normal, High School, Commercial, and Music School graduates. Source: Brigham Young Academy & Normal Training School, Catalogues & Announcements, for 31st Academic Year, 1906-1907, p. 140. ~ ~ ~ ~ Collegiate Grad of BYU, Class of 1908. J. William Robinson. He received a B.A. Degree in 1908. Annual Record, B.Y. University (BYU Records Office), Book 3, p. 365.

Class of 1921. Joseph Smoot Robinson. He received a High School Diploma in 1921. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 10, page 42. ~ ~ ~ ~ Collegiate Grad of BYU, Class of 1929. Joseph Smoot Robinson. He received an AB Degree in 1929. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 10, page 42.

BYA Beaver Branch ~ Murdock Academy, Class of 1920? Kate Robinson. ~ ~ ~ ~ HER OBITUARY: Kate Robinson Joseph, 87, died February 5, 1990 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Born February 21, 1902 in Beaver, Utah to John Wilford and Emma Smith Robinson. Married Walter Stanley Joseph, August 30, 1922 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He died March 7, 1988. Kate was an active member of the LDS Church. She was a graduate of the Murdock Academy and attended the McKune School of Music in Salt Lake City. Member of the B.P.W. Club and taught piano lessons in Beaver for many years. Past president of the American Legion Auxiliary. Survived by two daughters and a son: Mrs. Margaret Gillies Andrews, Sacramento, California; Keith W. and his wife, Beverly, Salt Lake City; Mrs. Collin (Karma) Smith, Arvada, Colorado; 11 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; three great- great- grandchildren. Funeral services were held Friday, February 9, 1990, in the Beaver 3rd 4th LDS Ward Chapel. Interment, Mountain View Cemetery, Beaver, Utah. [Deseret News, Tuesday, February 6, 1990.]

Class of 1972. Kathleen Robinson. BYU 1976. Kathleen married Lee Madsen. Alternate address: 295 West 100 North, Orangeville, Utah 84537 - (435) 748-2258.

Collegiate Grad of BYU, Class of 1925. L. Ray Robinson. He received a BS Degree in Agronomy in 1925. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 10, page 456.

Class of 1915. LaPriel Robinson. She received a BYH Normal Certificate in 1915. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 8, page 414.

Class of 1916. LeRoy J. Robinson. Graduated from Brigham Young High School, Music Department, in 1916. Source: 1916 BYU Banyan yearbook, BYH section, about 23 pages, not numbered. ~ ~ ~ ~ IS THIS? Leroy Robinson, born September 27, 1890 in Elba, Cassia County, Idaho. His parents were Thomas Hodgson Robinson and Mary Matilda Smith. He married Zina Elizabeth (Elizabeth) Judd on January 20, 1913 in Elba, Idaho. He died on December 24, 1934 in Burley, Cassia County, Idaho. Interment, Burley, Idaho.