David Scott Robson
1949-2021
David Scott Robson (Scott) 28 January 1949-21 September 2021
Scott was born in Halifax and attended school in Amherst, Dartmouth
and Bedford. His infancy and early childhood were spent leashed to
his twin brother Brock. They did everything together, including
resisting co-operation with their brother Peter who was only 23 months
older. With three boys under age three, their mother was kept
busy.
During university (Dalhousie, Arts and Education) Scott worked summers
at the Nova Scotia Museum. One of his first jobs was to restore the
Yarmouth to Tusket stagecoach that resided in the museum’s lobby
for many decades. He was rightly proud of this job, during which he
discovered his calling as a history curator.
After university, Scott taught for a short time in Halifax, followed
by a 42-year career at the Nova Scotia Museum, where he served as
Curator of History Collections. He had many excellent peers and
mentors at the museum, including George MacLaren, Niels Jannasch,
Deborah Trask and (posthumously) Harry Piers.
Through most of his career he was responsible for building the
provincial artifact collection and for furnishing the Museum’s many
historic houses as well as his key role in the development of
Sherbrooke Village in the 1970s. He carefully researched and answered
countless enquiries about old stuff from across the province and
country. Later on, he consulted on historical details during the
renovation of Government House and Province House.
Scott initiated a number of exhibits and authored or edited a number
of books. With Sharon MacDonald, he wrote Old Nova Scotia Quilts /
Courtepointes anciennes de la Nouvelle-Écosse (1995), and
co-ordinated the exhibit of these quilts across the country for
several years. With Shelagh Mackenzie, he wrote An Atlantic Album –
Photographs of the Atlantic Provinces, before 1920 (1985) and Halifax
Street Names (2002).
Scott retired in 2012, largely in response to what he saw as the Nova
Scotia Museum’s neglect of its traditional curatorial mandate in
favour of administration for its own sake. His discussion of this
trend was widely applauded at a speech he made to the Canadian Museums
Association in 2003.
Scott played piano from boyhood until a few weeks before his death.
He was always delighted to stumble across obscure sheet music or piano
arrangements. As with most everything else in his life, his taste in
music was wide-ranging. Although modest about his talent, he played
extremely well, though seldom for more than friends and family.
However, in 1969, he was convinced to play the organ at King’s College
Chapel for his older brother’s wedding.
Over the years, Scott’s house became a de facto museum, storage
facility and exhibition space. First-time visitors quickly gained an
appreciation of his many interests, which included origami, hooked
mats, Balinese and Venetian culture, 18th and 19th-century paper
cutting, local ceramics, pop-up books, stereoscopic slides,
wind-surfing and Nova Scotia scenic oil paintings. His friends and
family will continue to love and remember Scott for opening their eyes
to these and other wonders.
Scott was pre-deceased by his twin brother Brock and by his parents
Billee (Sponagle) and Don Robson. He is survived by Bruce Thorne, his
partner of 40 years, brother Peter (Barbara) and sister Kim. Also
surviving are his niece Kate and nephews Andrew, Oliver, Cameron and
Lucas along with several great nieces and nephews.
Scott’s nephew Oliver remembers… The origami, the woven
paper stars, the Christmas trees with real candles, the pop-up books,
times at Cherry Hill, the house of stairs and all the nooks and
crannies. The Japanese maple. Brock fixing the brakes on Scott’s
Malibu in Grampa’s driveway. The frog on the side of the museum. Life
is all about memories.
The family asks that donations in Scott’s memory be made to
Doctors Without Borders Canada (www.doctorswithoutborders.ca).
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of David Scott Robson 19492021..
Death notice for the town of: Mahone-Bay, Province: Nova Scotia