Mahone Bay Old School_A Life and Times_Bob Sayer

Berton Robinson, Respected Principal Retires
Berton Robinson was principal from 1959-62. He was a quietly spoken academic
type. His mother had been a teacher and his father, Prof. E.W. Robinson, was, for
over 60 years, a well known figure in education.
Students remember him as a particularly good teacher of English and history. Males
in particular said he had the knack of grabbing and keeping their attention. Teachers
remember him as a man of firm opinions. He was respected academically.
The Chronicle Herald carried an article about him, headed MAHONE BAY
PRINCIPAL SAYS Liberal Education Important. The Nova Scotia Teachers
Union had him write the text of a Centennial Project, THREE HUNDRED YEARS
IN EDUCATION.
In the Principal’s Message in the 1962 Yearbook, he wrote:
‘So many things have happened to us at Mahone Bay High School this year that
catching our breath seems a little hard…..Our junior and senior high schools have
tripled in number; we now have a new….classroom wing; a new, well-equipped
science lab…a fine new gymnasium and auditorium ....An article
Joan Mason and Douglas Joudrey, Yearbook Staff: The 1961-2 Highlight
in this year’s yearbook tells of the exciting days…of how crowded we were, and how
difficult a time we had…A good deal of the burden of these trying times…fell on your
school administration. What was the best to do under the circumstances…’
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