Rocke Robertson was a McGill-trained surgeon who served at the front lines in the Sicilian and Italian campaigns in World War II. Post-war experience led him to the height of the medical profession and appointment as Chief of the Department of Surgery at McGill and Surgeon-in-Chief at the Montreal General Hospital. From those posts, he was named Principal of McGill University, the first of its graduates to hold the office. Apart from the usual demanding job of managing faculty, students and alumni and the general business of the University, he was plunged into the midst of political upheaval in Quebec, student unrest and revolt and defending the rights of the English-speaking minority in Quebec. While all around him university leaders in Canada and elsewhere cracked under the pressures, especially those resulting from the changes demanded by students and staff, Robertson persisted until workable governance solutions were put in place at McGill. Upon his retirement as Principal, he continued to contribute to the medical field and to improving the delivery of medical services to the public.