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Imogene Christabel (Strickler) Robertson
(June 23, 1872 - February 6, 1953)

The Early Years:

Imogene Christabel Strickler was a gifted woman of tremendous accomplishments, whose pioneering contributions in the areas of science, art, photography and community were rare and few for a woman of the later Victorian period whose life spanned the first half of the twentieth century.

“Genie,” as family and close friends affectionately knew her, was born June 23^rd, 1872 in Buffalo, NY.  Genie was a life-long South Buffalo resident; she became interested in natural sciences and art at an early age. She would spend time amongst the then rural fields of south Buffalo sketching still life and spending time studying the flora around her home on the Niagara Frontier. In 1890, while still in her teens, she produced a booklet of Botanical Notes.with original watercolor studies; these plates were later exhibited in the Buffalo Museum of Science, an organization in which she was instrumental in founding. 

She attended the old four-room Cazenovia Street Elementary School #27 and later went on to attend the old Central High School, earning the Jesse Ketchum Medal in her freshman year. She was an avid reader throughout her long life and she excelled in her love of the sciences and the arts. She attended art school for a year along with her sister Charlotte "Lottie", took private instruction in art, developing considerable skill with pencil, watercolors and pastels. The sketches from these early years of South Buffalo preserved many local scenes and tastes of a rural life long since lost.

  These early years were very important to Genie. While still in her mid-teens she received her first microscope, sent to her by her mother while she was on a visit to Boston, Massachusetts.  Throughout her life, a microscope was a constant companion.  This opened up a fascinating world to this then, fifteen-year old woman.  Very soon, she was preparing slides of protozoa and amoeba from which she made pencil sketches and later, took and developed early photomicrographs. All this, while the photographic art was still in its infancy.

The year 1893 was a very important year for her in many ways, it was this year her cousin Clarence Luther Herrick visited the Strickler home.  He was on his way to Rochester, NY to give a lecture on “Biology and Religion,” He so impressed her with his knowledge of the subject and his ability to harmonize it with religion that it had a profound effect on her. Later on in life, she would name her second son Clarence, in memory of this accomplished and gifted cousin. Her strong faith would play a major part throughout her life.

The year 1893 was also important because it was the year Grover Cleveland, a former mayor of Buffalo, NY was inaugurated as President of the United States. But more important was the fact that it was the year that the Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago, Illinois. In August, following her twenty-first birthday, she traveled to Chicago World’s Fair. She was most impressed with the Chicago parks system which, like those of her home of Buffalo, NY, were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. It was also an important year because it was then that she first became actively interested in the old Seneca Indian Burial Ground directly across the street from where she lived. No more burials were permitted there, and all the interred bodies were to be exhumed and reburied elsewhere. Genie was in favor of renaming the park "Wyalusing" which, translated from the Iroquis means "The Home Of The Brave." She became closely associated with the park and it was noted, attended the ceremony held November 12th, 1894 at Forest Lawn cemetery in Buffalo, NY to honor "...the last of a wronged, but once powerful race, the Iroquois," where about one-hundred bodies were reinterred, beneath the shadow of Red Jacket's monument.

Following the removal of these remains and the reburial of the remaining Native Americans, her attention turned to the excavation of now empty grounds, where she found awls, arrowheads, beads and other Native American artifacts left there buried in the soil. These artifacts, are now in the custody of the Buffalo Museum of Science and the Buffalo Historical Society. From these events emerged her increasing involvement in archaeology. As her interests in the lands surrounding her home grew, she became aware of the need to study and preserve the histories of these people and their culture. It was from these events which led her to write "Once an Indian Village, Seneca Indian Park in Buffalo," published by the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Much of her early years was spent educating herself in the world of the natural sciences, spending time in the study of the local plant-life, local herbs, flowers, plant structure, etc. During this period, she spent many days outside with her sketch pad, pencils, pastels and water colors capturing the beauty of nature in all its splendor. Her notebooks were filled with scientific notations and drawings of plant-life she had sketched, later the plants would be dissected, studied and sketched again in greater detail.

Around the year 1897 she became increasingly interested in the study of Conchology, Geology, Ferns, Mosses and Fossils. This accompanied by her increasing interest in the use of her microscope led her to some new and fascinating discoveries. It should also be noted that around this time she became interested in the science of photography. Unfortunately, with this new interest, her desire to continue with her sketches completely disappeared. This new interest however, opened up a whole new world of possibilities for her.

The Middle Years:

During the closing years of the nineteenth century "Genie," now very much, a lovely young lady, continued to persue studies in her many areas of interest. This lead her to involvement in The Society of Natural Sciences. This period would also introduce some dramatic changes in her life. Some of these changes are outlined in excerpts from her 1901 journal which covers the year of the Pan-American Exposition. It is here, that we are first introduced to the man who would play a major role for the rest of her life; Harold Ralph Robertson.

Harold R. Robertson was a tall, dignified gentleman who commanded respect by his demeanor and handsome appearance. He, like Genie, was a person of deep faith and belief which was very much in-line with hers. There are entries in the original 1901 journal which allude to the fact that their friendship was evolving into something much more meaningful. However, since those entries did not relate directly to the topic of that page and were highly personal in nature, any references pertaining to their blossoming relationship were not included there. Genie records in a journal entry dated June 26, 1902 that Harold Robertson visited her during the week and gave her a diamond engagement ring. The two were finally married on June 2, 1903.

Harold and Genie now went about the tasks involved with building a home and family life. The first of five children Imogene Margaret Robertson was born on April 11, 1904. A strong, healthy and beautiful child, she grew up to share her mother's interest in art and became an accomplished and renowned artist in her own right. "Immy" as she became know to family and close friends married Walter McCausland June 25, 1927, moving in 1930, to the "old barn" which had been converted into a house several years before. Immy and Walter remained there raising a family. Shortly after Walter's death September 26, 1966, she moved away to her present location in Buffalo.

Soon to follow was James Allen Robertson, born May 13, 1906, it has been recorded that he was a very good baby, strong and self-reliant. He learned to laugh early, sat alone at five-months, climbed stairs at nine-months, walked alone at eleven-months and seemed a perfect child in every way, affectionate and engaging. Unfortunately, after a much-troubled youth, he died of lobar pneumonia on November 30, 1921. Sadly, he was the only child not to survive to adulthood and his parental expectation's were unfulfilled.

In the years that followed their second son was born, Clarence Paul Robertson, on May 22, 1908. He was very close to his brother Allen, growing up, as they were only two years apart. In his youth, Clarence was know for his very curly hair which earned him the nickname "Curly" to which he became known to family and close friends. Clarence graduated South Park High School and attended Cornell University where he graduated with a degree in Landscape Architecture. Clarence married the former Eileen Frances Grogan on February 12, 1938. Clarence taught at McKinley High School until 1954, concurrent with his profession as a Landscape Architect. He transferred to Hutchinson-Central Technical High School, teaching Architectural Design until his retirement in the spring of 1973. Eileen and Clarence were married until Eileen's death a few years ago from complications due to a congenital kidney disease.
On April 29th, 2001 at about 3:15 PM, Clarence "Curly" Robertson became the second child of Genie Robertson to pass away. Clarence died after a brief hospitalization following a fall in his home on April 18th. His obituary appeared in the Buffalo News on May 5th, 2001.

Following Clarence, came the birth of a third son, Ralph Alden Robertson on December 10, 1911. Ralph, was valedictorian of his grammar school graduation at Public School #70 in 1924. He went on to attend Buffalo Technical High School, graduating in 1928 at the age of sixteen, majoring in Commercial Design. He went on to attend Buffalo State Teachers' College graduating in 1931. Later he attended University of Buffalo, earning a Masters of Arts in 1949. He went on to teach and later serve in the capacity as first principal at Green Acres Elementary School. Ralph married the former Barbara Katharine Robertson November 12th, 1937 and remained married until her death.

The final addition to this family, Doris Elizabeth Robertson, was born August 25, 1914. She married Jost Gordon "Pete" Petrie July 12, 1944 and remained happily married until his death April 16, 1989.

Each of the surviving children grew up to raise families of their own, each inheriting the long-lived genes of their grandparents. This subject however, is not the focus of this article. Genie had a great love for her family and showed it through the nurturing, loving ways each grew to become responsible adults and loving parents in their own right. Each of her four children surviving are, as of this writing, still living.

The Later Years:

After spending years devoting her time and energies to the raising of her family, Genie finally found time to return to the fields of study she enjoyed so well, second only to her family. In an article dated January 10, 1932 titled: "Women in the Public Eye" written by H. Katherine Smith, it outlines much of this period and how she finally returned to the studies which she loved, after having set these studies aside for so many years. Because she was unquestionably, the only person in Western New York with qualifications in the area of conchology and malacology, she was chosen in 1926 to classify the over 100,000 shells donated to the Buffalo Museum of Science.

She served in many roles with the Buffalo Museum of Science as associate in malacology, curator of biology, science editor, registrar and librarian of the museum's collection of microscopical slides. She co-authored in 1948 "The Mollusca of the Niagara Frontier Region" with Clifford L. Blakeslee, published through the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences.

Genie, along with her husband Harold, were founding members of the American Malacological Union, having met in 1929 with its founder, the world-renowned Dr. Carlos de la Torres who, while visiting with Mrs. Robertson was very impressed with her work in her capacity as Curator of Invertebrates and her expertise in malacology. Through this association, Dr. de la Torre invited them to attend, in 1938,the Eighth Convention of American Malacological Union which was held in Havana, Cuba.

The last twenty years of her life were not easy, though through these trying times, this indomitable woman, met calmly and patiently the burden of each passing day. It was on December 17, 1938 that Genie's father, Allen Darius Strickler, quietly passed away at the age of ninty-three; his sister Anne Strickler Herrick, had died earlier that year in Chicago at the age of 104. Her mother, always an active part of many of the same organizations and having encouraged her in the sciences, passed away August 22, 1946 at the age of ninty-six. Soon to follow was her Aunt Ellen Strickler Choate, her father's elder sister who, shortly following an accidental fall, died at the age of 103. The times were changing and the last of a generation had passed into history. Surely, she had good reason to believe that she had inherited the long-living genes of the last generation; she still had so much to accomplish and do!

Having lost her younger sister Charlotte "Lottie" to sickness in 1918 and her youngest brother Howard to Hodgkin's disease in 1927 while both were about 44-years of age was keenly felt; perhaps this was the normal life expectancy in this country at the time, but not for a long-lived family such as hers. That may have been why it came as such a shock when her younger brother Herbert, died so suddenly from a heart-attack, July 25, 1950 at only 69 years of age. She was now the last of her generation. Her husband of almost fifty years had been suffering for many years with prostate problems and spent much of the last year of his life confined to his bed where he was tenderly cared for by his wife. Finally, on July 15, 1951 death came to the husband she loved so well.

Soon after the death of her husband, Genie became aware that all was not right with her body. Consulting with the doctors, things at first looked promising for this now eighty-year-old woman. However it was soon determined that the cause of her illness was cancer of the bladder, and it was diagnosed as being terminal. By the fall of 1952 it became certain that it was only a matter of time. On February 6, 1953, following a heroic struggle, this valiant woman succumbed. So passed away a great lady, then in her eighty-first year. Western New York has known few like her.