Washington - Iain Mc Naughton Robertson passed away at home in Seattle on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Iain was born on March 13, 1948 in the neighborhood of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland, the second of five lively boys to James Donald and Evelyn Patricia Robertson. In Edinburgh he and his brothers attended nearby Merchiston Castle School.

He graduated with a Bachelor's degree (Honours) in Architecture from University of Edinburgh in 1972. It was while he was studying at Edinburgh University that two visiting professors, Ron Lovinger from University of Oregon and David Streatfield from University of Edinburgh, introduced Iain to Landscape Architecture. It was during an interlude from the University of Edinburgh that he undertook the adventure of driving with his cousin, a classmate, and friends through Europe and through the middle east to India, a trip that would be impossible today because of current fighting and conflicts in these regions.

In 1972 Iain came to the US to study Landscape Architecture at University of Pennsylvania, where another Scotsman, Professor Iain McHarg was teaching. At Penn Iain met Hady De Jong and they were married in Scotland in 1977.

The mountains and forests of the Pacific Northwest beckoned, so he and Hady moved to Seattle the following year. Iain worked at the offices of MacLeod and at Jones and Jones before joining the Department of Landscape Architecture at University of Washington in 1982. He taught there for 37 years, serving as chair from 1996 to 2004. As a professor he is most proud of the many accomplishments of the students he has trained and influenced over the decades.

Iain's professional interests focused on planting design and, more recently, on the role of creativity in the teaching and practice of design. His forthcoming book resulting from those studies, Cultivating Creativity, will be published posthumously in January 2022 and distributed by NYU Press.

Iain was married to Hady De Jong for over 43 years and they had two children. Together they have enjoyed traveling and visiting family with the children, summer days at View Ridge Pool, hiking, sailing (in calm weather) and reading in the garden. Iain is survived by his wife Hady; by their son Alex, his wife Michelle, and their children Rowan and Rex; and by their daughter Johanna and her husband Sam. He is also survived by his four brothers Peter (Candy), Graeme (Debbie), Roy (Liz), and Neil, and by 10 nephews/nieces and 10 grandnephews/grandnieces. See the in memoriam on the UW website:

https://be.uw.edu/in-memoriam-iain-robertson/

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the UW Department of Landscape Architecture. There will be a celebration of Iain's life and work on Sunday, October 3, from 6:00 - 9:00 pm at Center for Urban Horticulture. Hady, Alex, Johanna, and family thank neighbors, friends, colleagues, and the Brain Tumor Center at UW for their kindness and support during this difficult time.