Guide to the Russell S. Robinson Collection, 2011 March SPEC.PA.56.5012 Finding aid prepared by Audrey Wimbiscus Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2026 May This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2026-06-08T10:17-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Russell S. Robinson Collection SPEC.PA.56.5012 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections Polar Small Accessions 2 0.02 Cubic feet 2011 March Russell Shepherd Robinson (1911-1998) went to Antarctica on Byrd Antarctic Expedition II (1933-1935) as a volunteer crewmember onboard the ship the Bear of Oakland. The Russell S. Robinson Collection consists of photocopies from March 2011 of materials related to Robinson that were collected by Peggy Royall, a friend of Robinson's during his youth. These materials consist of clippings about his time on Byrd Antarctic Expedition II, school programs, and a holiday card sent to Royall while Robinson was in Antarctica; the original items dated from 1923 to 1933. (1) letter folder English Royall, Peggy Arrangement of Materials

The Russell S. Robinson Collection is arranged in chronological order by the original date of items; that date is listed in each item's title.

 Acquisitions Information

Accession No. PA.2011.0013: Maggie McClure, 2011 March

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Russell S. Robinson Collection, SPEC.PA.56.5012, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the University Archives reading room only. Contact the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program at polararchives@osu.edu for more information.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2026 May; Finding aid written by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2026 May

 Biographical Note

Russell Shepherd Robinson (1911-1998) was born in New Zealand; his family moved to the United States when he was nine. Robinson graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1932 with an aeronautical engineering degree. He went to Antarctica on Byrd Antarctic Expedition II (1933-1935) as a volunteer crewmember onboard the ship the Bear of Oakland. Soon after the beginning of the expedition on October 4, 1933, the Bear of Oakland encountered the edge of a hurricane. Robinson and his crewmates struggled to keep the ship afloat, using buckets to bail the water flooding the ship’s fore. After some difficulty, the Bear of Oakland was towed to Southport, North Carolina for a few days before it resumed its Antarctic voyage in November 1933.

Following Byrd Antarctic Expedition II, Robinson returned to New Zealand on the trip home; he lived and worked as an engineer in both Australia and the United Kingdom during the 1930s. Robinson was drafted by the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II, where he worked on gun and weapon design. Following WWII, he moved to the United States and worked with Colt's Manufacturing Company to design machine guns and automatic cannons.

Margaret "Peggy" Y. Hincks (nee Royall) was a classmate of Robinson's in high school; they graduated in 1929 from Glen Ridge High School in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.

 Scope and Contents

The Russell S. Robinson Collection consists of materials related to Robinson; the original materials were collected by Peggy Royall, a friend of Robinson's during his youth. The original materials were photocopied in 2011 and annotated by the donor (Royall's daughter) prior to donation; this collection consists solely of these photocopies, with no original materials. The photocopies consist of clippings about Robinson's time on Byrd Antarctic Expedition II, school programs, and a holiday card sent to Royall while Robinson was in Antarctica; the original items dated from 1923 to 1933.

 Related Materials Byrd Antarctic Expedition II Collection "Memories of an Old Ship: The Bear" Manuscript by Russell S. Robinson Bear of Oakland (Ship) Byrd Antarctic Expedition (2nd: 1933-1935) Robinson, Russell S. Antarctica--Discovery and exploration--American--20th century Greeting cards Icebreakers (Ships)--United States--20th century Newspaper clippings Photocopies Programs (documents) Sailing--Antarctica--20th century Sailors--Antarctica--20th century Glen Ridge Junior High School "Junior Journal" Christmas Issue 1923 December photocopy 2011 March Glen Ridge High School "Our First Bow" Class of 1929 program photocopy 2011 March The Montclair Times "Glen Ridge High School Graduates Fifty-Seven Pupils" 1929 June 15 newspaper clipping photocopy 2011 March Newark News "Bids Antarctic Traveler Farewell" 1933 newspaper clipping photocopy 2011 March Christmas card and envelope mailed to Peggy Royall 1933 December photocopy 2011 March