Ralph Robertson

Ralph L. Robertson Jr. passed away on Aug. 9, 2014 at the age of 72. Ralph is survived by his beloved daughter, Lia Robertson of NYC and his loving partner, Beverly Buffington of St. Helens, ORE. During WWII, his father worked as a railroad freight conductor and his mother was superintendent of a tenement building. A native New Yorker, Ralph Jr., spent his early years growing up in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen, a few blocks away from the movie and theater districts near Times Square. As a youngster he enjoyed shining shoes on 42nd Street and selling shopping bags on Ninth Avenue outside food markets. With his profits he would steal away to the "Laugh Movie" theater on 42nd St. to watch comedy features with Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and hours of cartoons. From the age of five to fifteen, he worked as a child actor appearing on Broadway, Summer Stock and numerous live Radio and TV programs, while attending Professional Children's School. One Broadway play that had a strong personal influence on Ralph was his juvenile role as the son "Morton" in the 1950 Arthur Miller adaption of Ibsen's : Enemy of the People" with Frederick March and his wife, Florence Eldridge. And on a popular note, were his small parts as; "Tommy Manicotti" in the TV episode "Trapped" (4/15/56) and Johnny Bennett" in "A Matter of Record" (1/7/56) on the "Honeymooners" with Jackie Gleason and Art Carney. After graduating from Hiram College with a major in Art History, Ralph volunteered for the draft and served in the U.S. Army, Headquarters Co., Berlin Brigade, Berlin, Germany from 1964 to 1966. In the early sixties, Ralph was impressed by "East Side/West Side", a television series about NYC social workers, starring George C. Scott and Cecily Tyson. On returning from overseas, Ralph joined the NYC Dept. of Social Services as a caseworker serving individuals and families in the South Bronx. Ralph completed his graduate social work degree in 1977 from Hunter College School of Social Work, as a Group Work Major and licensed in NY State. His broad 32-year career in social work included working in city agencies, non-profit programs, hospitals, shelters, social work universities and colleges that served the mentally-ill, homeless, substances abusers, child welfare recipients and graduate social work students. His professional assignments included work as a fund-raiser, administrator, program developer, individual and group psychiatric social worker, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, social work field instructor and adjunct faculty member. Passionate about his chosen field, Ralph found that he could combine his desire to work with people and be creative. Two of his favorite innovations were to facilitate a poetry therapy group for patients at Creative Arts Rehab. Ctr. In NYC, where he worked for twelve years, and a reading group for men at the Psychiatric Shelter Program, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Ctr., wherein patients would read and discuss The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Ralph loved vacationing with his daughter in Cape Cod and was an avid surf fisherman for Bluefish and Striped Bass. Along with a lifelong interest in classical music, jazz and art, he became a dedicated bibliophile. In 1998, Ralph was physically disabled from Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. After relocating to Northern California in 2000, he began a new interest as a student and member of Fire Arts Center, a pottery cooperative in Arcata, CA. He was a member of the Support Group, American Cancer Society in Eureka, CA and Arcata Zen Group. He also served as a patient care volunteer at Hospice of Humboldt County. In 2009, Ralph moved to Oregon to be closer to the resources at Oregon Health and Sciences University and VA hospital. In 2011, he was diagnosed with a highly aggressive, second cancer that did not respond to treatment.