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| Dr. Leonard Robertson
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Dr. Leonard Robertson, professor of biological sciences, is among the recipients of East Tennessee State University’s highest honors. He claimed the 2005 Distinguished Faculty Award in Service.
Nominated and selected by their faculty peers, Faculty Award winners receive a medallion, a plaque, and a $5,000 check provided by the ETSU Foundation.
Dr. Robertson has been an ETSU faculty member for nearly three decades and has worked diligently in the advisement of more than 100 pre-professional students each semester who desire to enter the health sciences. He has also served on ETSU’s Premedical-Medical Program for the James H. Quillen College of Medicine, and the Medical Professions Advisement Committee, which provides oversight of several pre-professional committees.
The Kiwanis Club/ETSU Science Fair Project began more than 20 years ago, and Dr. Robertson has served as vice president and chief judge since its inception.
One nominator wrote, “If ever the term ‘thankless job’ was appropriate, the Chief Judge of the Science Fair merits that description…. Definitely not a fun job, yet Dr. Robertson performs this work, year in and year out, because of his commitment to the improvement of public school science education.”
As a free public service, Dr. Robertson has taught a safety course for young hunters who desire to obtain a state hunting and fishing license. This course is required by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and, in 1973, Dr. Robertson was among the first to earn certification to teach the class.
“Over the years, he has certified over 700 students (and flunked a few who needed to try a little harder). There is no way that the impact of his efforts, and those of his fellow instructors, can be measured. We have no way of knowing how many of his students will have a happy and safe future in their outdoor experiences, and will not become sad statistics caused by unfortunate accidents,” added a supporter.
An avid duck hunter, Dr. Robertson crafts duck calls from an array of wood types, including some from Asia and Africa, among them such unusual species as Cocobola, Flamewood, and Gabon Ebony. He and his son, Scott, make good use of these creations when they participate in the Grand American Duck and Goose Calling Championships at Reelfoot Lake.
Dr. Robertson’s expertise in embryology and the reproductive sciences has enlightened his students, while also bringing special “joys” to dozens of couples in the region.
He was the first embryologist in the local in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF/ET) program when it began at ETSU in 1986. He later became the cryopreservation specialist for that team, and has remained active with that program for the past 19 years.
A nominator wrote, “It is my understanding that over 150 of the embryos given attention by Dr. Robertson eventually resulted in pregnancy. I would emphasize that the public service that Dr. Robertson directed toward these couples might have been worth many thousands of dollars had the procedures been done in private medical practice.”
Dr. Robertson also serves on the board of directors for the East Tennessee Transplant Foundation, an initiative which provides financial assistance to needy families who are faced with the overwhelming financial burden of organ transplant surgery.
A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Dr. Robertson enjoys listening to classical music, especially Aaron Copland, and collecting fine Scotch of the single malt variety.
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