Although Julian Robertson Jr. died just over two years ago, he continues to bless the community that he was always proud to claim as his hometown.   

On Monday, The Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation announced that it has received $50 million from Robertson’s estate to continue its work to maintain and improve the quality of life in Salisbury.

Robertson established The Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation in 1997 with a gift of $16 million to honor his civic-spirited parents who were proud residents of Salisbury. He was engaged with and pleased with the foundation, and he enjoyed returning to Salisbury to see various projects it was supporting. 

Over the decades since its founding, Robertson made additional gifts totaling $20 million, for a total investment of $36 million. To date, the foundation has given away more than $40 million to nonprofit initiatives aimed at sustaining and improving the quality of life in Salisbury and Rowan County. Before this bequest, the foundation’s assets were approximately $15 million.

“If it were up to me,” Robertson once said, “everyone would have to grow up in a small town, and Salisbury is an especially attractive one.” 

He was born in Salisbury and educated in its public schools, but lived most of his life in New York where he was an investor and the founder of Tiger Management.  

“This is a truly remarkable and humbling gift to the citizens of Salisbury and Rowan County. Julian never forgot where he came from, and he was a cheerleader for us from afar his entire life. With this gift to the foundation, Julian wanted to help us continue to make this special community the best it can possibly be,” said Board Chairperson Susan Kluttz when she accepted the donation.  

Kluttz indicated that the new funds will be earmarked for initiatives that support the foundation’s mission of honoring those things that Blanche and Julian Robertson Sr. valued most.

After his death, Robertson returned to Salisbury permanently. In September 2022, he was quietly buried in the historic Chestnut Hill Cemetery with the ashes of Josie, his wife of 38 years. They were laid to rest next to his parents and the ashes of his sister Blanche Robertson Bacon.  

The bequest to the foundation was not the only gift Julian left for the community that he so loved. Starting Tuesday, Waterworks Visual Art Center in downtown Salisbury will debut the first ever public viewing of Julian and Josie Robertson’s art collection of masterpieces from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries. A world-class exhibit, it features works from such artists as Picasso, Pissarro, Gauguin, Kandinsky and Monet. 

Robertson and his wife, Josie, collected these pieces over many years, as well as others previously donated to the Auckland Art Gallery in New Zealand and the North Carolina Museum of Art. Wanting the rest of the art to be shared with the public, he bequeathed it to The Robertson Foundation in New York, which contacted Waterworks to arrange this first showing. The exhibit, which will run for a year, is free and open to the public. For more information, go to https://www.waterworks.org/see-never-before-seen.

“Salisbury is blessed by the remarkable philanthropic spirit of many residents, who have saved scores of historic properties, promoted arts and culture and strengthened local colleges including Catawba and Livingstone. Salisburians recently stepped up to pay for the new Bell Tower Green, a popular downtown park with playgrounds, waterfalls and performance areas. And, on a continuing basis, citizens support and manage an array of services for the town’s neediest citizens. Julian’s bequest reflects the joy he got from being a part of this, and his desire to keep the flame glowing,” said Wyndham Robertson, Julian’s sister and board member.

Current board members of the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation include: Chair Kluttz; Past Chair Bret Busby; Vice-Chair Dyke Messinger; Treasurer Nick Means; Secretary Kathy Rusher; Wyndham Robertson; Spencer Robertson; Alex Robertson; Margaret Kluttz, emeritus; Matt Barr; Lane Wallace; Lillian Morgan; and Fred Stanback, emeritus. Jason Walser serves as executive director and Mary Heather Steinman serves as the chief operating officer.