S. James Robertson, 84, passed away on Sunday, February 2, 2020. Beloved father and grandfather, he was born in 1936 and grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. He graduated from Millsaps College in Jackson in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. He then attended Vanderbilt University under an Atomic Energy Commission fellowship program that included a summer internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He later earned the Master of Science degree in physics from Vanderbilt in 1965.
He came to Huntsville, Alabama in 1958 to begin a long career in the aerospace industry. He began as a contract Chrysler Corporation Missile Division engineer working at the former Army Ballistic Missile Agency on Redstone Arsenal. He later joined the Lockheed Missile and Space Division (later changed to Lockheed Martin) where he worked for 27 years in various areas of aerospace science, primarily fluid dynamics related. He completed his career working with a small aerospace firm Research South for another 15 years.
He was married in 1960 to Barbara Ann Roach. They raised two sons together, Mark Robertson of Suwanee, GA and Jeffrey Robertson of Oak Ridge, TN. She preceded him in death in 2015 after 55 years of marriage. Mr. Robertson is survived by both sons, Mark’s wife Nancy, Jeff’s wife Sandi, and their children Heidi Koelle, Emily Koelle, and Brian Robertson.
He was a member of the Monte Sano United Methodist Church in Huntsville and a former member of the Kiwanis Club of South Huntsville.
Known by his friends as “Jim”, he was an avid naturalist, who enjoyed hiking, camping, canoeing, birdwatching, and nature photography.
Visitation will be from 12 to 1 p.m. Saturday, February 22 at Monte Sano United Methodist Church, immediately followed by a memorial service at the church.
