William "Robby" Robinson
October 27, 1927 — January 22, 2016
Robby was born October 27, 1927 in Shawnee, OK, he passed away peacefully at JourneyCare Hospice, Barrington, IL on January 22, 2016 after a long battle with lymphoma.
He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Karen (nee Bruhnke) Robinson, and his son Cliff Murphy.
After a rough start, [being born just before the Great Depression, and losing his father soon after. Robby exceled at everything he did in life. With his MBA from Northwestern he was an early proponent of the now familiar business tool … Market Research, applying those innovations at ad agencies Foote Cone & Belding, Earl Ludgin, and Leo Burnett. He later moved to Quaker Oats and developed the strategy that brought Instant Oatmeal to market. All this and more before he was 43…
Then he changed gears and moved to an un-inhabited island in the Caribbean…. no electricity ….no phones. He became an avid scuba diver and snorkeler. And an implacable defender of nature, the coral reefs and beaches. When living in Chicago, Robby and his then wife Jean donated 90 acres of woodland Ravine in Michigan to Nature Conservancy. He had transferred that feeling of being a caretaker of the land to his new home…the sea! It took 10 years, but he was able to get Cam Bay, in the BVI, designated as a National Park.
Robby leaves behind a bountiful legacy. Besides safeguarding the environment, he fought for justice and equality whenever he saw he could make a difference. And he was always curious and eager to learn new things…especially about the brain. He was a most fascinating person to sit down with and share a bottle of fine wine.
A memorial service will be held in the British Virgin Islands at a later date.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) www.aclu.org/donate. or Planned Parenthood www.plannedparenthood.org/donate