Bye Bye, Bud

This morning marked the final class in the illustrious career of Dr. James I. "Bud" Robertson.

In addition to being his final class, it was also the first college classroom in which I felt underdressed, as dozens of Dr. Robertson's colleagues, family, and friends came out to support him and witness his final class, wearing ties and blazers in stark contrast to the military uniforms of the CORPS members and mid-week t-shirts and shorts worn my a majority of the students.

I was there to see greatness complete a great work.

"Today caps off 57 years in the classroom for me, which is truly humbling," Dr. Robertson remarked as he began his lecture, which lasted only about 25 minutes. He went on to thank everyone for being present.

"Especially my wife," he said as he glanced up at her in the first row.

Dr. Robertson has been teaching Civil War and Reconstruction at Virginia Tech for a majority of his 57-year teaching career and has decided to retire from teaching, although his efforts as a Civil War historian will continue unimpeded with the Virginia Sesquicennial Conference at Virginia Tech later this month.

Dr. Robertson is the author of 18 major works, including Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend, which won eight national awards in 1997.

During his lecture, Dr. Robertson focused on the end of the Civil War, namely the surrender of General Lee's men to U.S. Grant and the Union. He mentioned how cordial and formal of an affair it was, the difficult but necessary reuniting of a nation.

He also shared about the importance of remembering veterans and honoring their memory, quoting Dwight Eisenhower's address at a commemorative event held in the 1930s, "there's something about these fields that stays here," referring to the Civil War battlefields that are now national treasures.

The room erupted in applause after the lecture, along with which he also applauded.

After a slide show of pictures of Civil War veterans, Dr. Robertson's closed with a short, but poignant remark:

"And that was the Civil War.
Thank you so much for being here-- God bless."