Richard Robinson (chief executive)

Robinson was born in 1937 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Florence née Liddell and Maurice R. Robinson.[2][3][4][5] He was raised in Manhattan.[6] He was educated at Harvard College and later at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, in England, and at Teacher's College, Columbia University, where he later became a benefactor, to be a high school teacher.[2][7]

He began his career as a high school English teacher in Evanston, Illinois.[2][8] In the mid-1960s, he began working at Scholastic Corporation.[9]

In 1971, Robinson became a board member of Scholastic.[10] In 1974, he became President of Scholastic and CEO a year later.[2] He was elected to the position of chairman of the board in 1982.[2]

During his tenure as Scholastic CEO, he oversaw the company's financial struggles and successes.[9] He saw the company's success of the Harry Potter series and battled censors of Harry Potter, Captain Underpants and Alex Gino’s George as inappropriate for younger readers.[9] The New York Times credits Robinson for making it possible for the Harry Potter and The Hunger Games novel franchises to reach the American public.[1]

Robinson's tenure also oversaw an overhaul of historic changes, whether the rise of digital media or the increased emphasis on diversity and scrutiny of the past.[11] In 2016, Scholastic and Robinson faced controversy over the publication of a picture story titled A Birthday Cake for George Washington, which depicted one of Washington's slaves.[11] The book was pulled by Scholastic after widespread criticism.[11]

In response to his goal for Scholastic to be informed of the changing culture, Robinson said "We are dealing with issues like global warming, racial inequality in a way that doesn’t polarize the issue but gives points of views on both sides and is a balanced neutral position but not in a sense of being bland".[8]

In 1968, Robinson married Katherine Woodroofe, a magazine editor at Scholastic.[12] They later divorced. Robinson was married to Helen V. Benham, who founded the Early Childhood Division at Scholastic, and with whom he had two children,[13] from 1986 until 2003.[5] He lived in New York City and owned a condo in Greenwich Village until 2016.[14] He stated that James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was a personal favorite and inspiration during his tenure as Scholastic CEO.[6]

He died on June 5, 2021, while on vacation with his family on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, aged 84.[9][5] The cause was said to be either a stroke or a heart attack.[5]

Robinson received an honorary National Book Award for his contributions to the literary community.[9] PEN America noted him for his contributions to free expression in literature and publishing.[9]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richard Robinson (chief executive).

• Profile: Richard Robinson at Wallmine
• Interview with Dick Robinson at Bamboo Innovator