Professor Forbes W. Robertson FRSE has passed away at the age of 92.
Born in Canada, his family later moved to Aberdeen where Forbes was educated at Robert Gordon's College and gained first class honours in Zoology at Aberdeen University. He worked in Birmingham and Edinburgh, before becoming head of the new Genetics Department in Aberdeen. Later he was appointed Professor.
Always a keen gardener and plant enthusiast, Forbes became the first Honorary President of the newly formed Friends of the Cruickshank Botanic Garden in 1982. He retired to Edinburgh in 1985, became increasingly active in the Royal Society of Edinburgh and was awarded the RSE's Bicentenary Medal in 1996.
Forbes had a lifelong interest in botany and published several books, among them "Scottish Rock Gardening in the 20th Century", written with fellow SRGC member Alistair McKelvie for the SRGC in celebration of the turn of the century and also published scholarly papers.
He created magnificent rock gardens at his homes and pioneered a new type of garden history that focussed on plants d the people who grew them rather than garden design.
His latest book, "Patrick Neil, Doyen of Scottish Horticulture" was published in his 1st year. It was reviewed in a recent issue of "The Rock Garden"
For the "Rock Garden", Forbes Robertson wrote 'A glimpse of Kosciusko' (77/365); 'Gunung Kinabalu' (83/154) and 'Thomas Blaikie, Alpine Plant Collector' (99/121)
Forbes died on June 1st 2012.
Our condolences to his family and friends.
