In His Own Words
several autobiographiesBud wrote his life more than once — an Autobiography 1962, a Personal History 1973, a version for the Robbins family history book, and a WWII memoir — and he began, characteristically, with a joke about his own arrival.
I came into existence in Ogden, Utah. I happened in Ogden, Utah. By chance I had wonderful parents. My parents went through those days of depression in my early youth but always managed in an independent way… My father was active in business and civic affairs. He was chairman of the draft board, President of the American Legion, a Rotarian — but still a father whenever needed. — Bud Robbins, “Autobiography 1962”
The father he describes is Wes Robbins; the mother, Vennetta. Bud grew up in Ogden, graduated from Ogden High School in 1943, and went straight into the United States Marine Corps, serving in the Pacific through the end of the war — a chapter he told in full in a separate war memoir. In November 1951 he married Jalaine Albiston; they raised their family, and he made his career in pharmaceutical sales.
His autobiographies, his wartime letters and telegrams, his diplomas and service records, and some nine hundred photographs are being gathered here section by section.