Clarence Broocks Robertson, III

Published 10:08 am Wednesday, January 31, 2018

ROBERTSON, Clarence Broocks III, 83, died on Jan. 27, 2018, with his family by his side. He is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Martha Luck Robertson; and children, Anne Preston Farmer (Neil), C. Broocks Robertson IV and Martha Gregory Bowden (Marshall); and grandchildren, Will and Molly Farmer and Ned, Harrison and Clay Bowden. He is also survived by his sister, Mary Robertson Morgan of Red Oak, Virginia. He is predeceased by his parents, Clarence Broocks Robertson Jr. and Annie Clay Robertson. C.B. was born on Oct. 6, 1934, at Pineland Farm in Charlotte County, Virginia. Following graduation from Virginia Tech in 1957, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and the German Club, he married Martha Gregory Luck. C.B. was passionate about his family, work and community and the impact he had on all was profound. He absolutely adored his wife and the bond they shared has been an inspiration to all who knew them. His strong work ethic was admirable and his commitment of giving back to the community through various efforts was endless. His reputation was paramount. He always honored his word and strove to create situations where both parties were treated fairly. Following his service with the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, C.B.’s professional career began at Luck Quarries, followed by being President of Richmond Asphalt Products. He then moved into full-time real estate development. Since the 1960s, C.B.’s vision has had a tremendous impact on the metropolitan Richmond real estate community, where he was active in both creating the concept, planning and development of over 6,500 acres of residential and commercial development. His goal was always to make the community a better place and he encouraged thoughtful development that would protect the environment. His initial projects included the development of Lower Tuckahoe and Broad Run in Goochland County. He built The Crossings Golf Course, as part of Ethelwood Center, which was later expanded to become Virginia Center. He was also the force behind the planning and re-zoning of Stony Point, a mixed-use project in which he was a General Partner. In the mid 1980s, he began the assemblage, planning and re-zoning of West Creek, a 3,500 acre commercial park in Goochland County for the NCNB Real Estate Fund and was involved with the development’s initial sales, including Capital One. While concluding his involvement in West Creek, he began more serious planning of what is now Kinloch. His vision for this property resulted in not only a high quality residential development in which he remained active until his death, but also in the formation and construction of Kinloch Golf Club, of which he was a founder. C.B. was involved in the community in many capacities. Among some of the boards he served were Bank of Virginia, Richmond Memorial Hospital, Richmond Eye and Ear Hospital, Country Club of Virginia and the Commonwealth Club. He was also a past member of the VCU Real Estate Circle of Excellence, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Governor’s Commission on Government Reform, and the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Retirement System Real Estate Advisory Committee. C.B. was completely committed to education. He was past president and life trustee of the Board at The Collegiate School, with involvement at Collegiate spanning five decades. He served as Chairman of the Board of the Academy of Economic Education, whose focus was to help teachers gain an understanding of economics that they would then pass on to their students. He also served on the Board of Sponsors at William and Mary’s School of Business Administration. C.B. loved spending time with his family and friends at Little Dover and their other home at The Greenbrier. He was also devoted to hunting and fly fishing, which began at an early age on the family farm. He traveled extensively with his wife to enjoy either sport, in particular, pheasant shooting in Scotland and big game hunting. One of his memorable achievements was the Grand Slam on a fly rod. We were truly blessed to have him as a husband, father and grandfather and his love and spirit will continue to influence all of our lives. Funeral services will be held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his name to C.B. Robertson III Endowment for STEM Education, The Collegiate School, 103 N. Mooreland Rd., Richmond, Va. 23229, VCU Massey Cancer Center MDS Research, P.O. Box 843042, Richmond, Va. 23284, or The NRA Foundation, 11250 Waples Mill Rd, Fairfax, Va. 22030.