William Robinson

Maplewood, NJ / Madison, WI -- William Albert Robinson, Jr., age 92, passed away on June 16, 2015 in Madison, Wisconsin. He was born on July 8, 1922 in Raleigh, North Carolina to the late William A. and Maybel (Steele) Robinson and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Atlanta University Laboratory High School, where his father was Principal. After attending Morehouse College and Howard University, Bill served in the U.S. Third Army in the European Theater of World War II. After the War, Bill lived in Phoenix, Arizona and then completed his undergraduate degree at Olivet College. He also pursued writing with a Yaddo residency in Saratoga Springs, New York, and in Paris, France with a grant from the John Hay Whitney Foundation. After completing a Master Degree in English literature at New York University, Bill served as a lay Catholic missionary in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. He returned to New York to live in Brooklyn and work in public relations for Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (HARYOU), the National Bureau of Economic Research, and AT&T, including its Western Electric Company. Bill then moved to Maplewood, New Jersey, where he lived most of the remainder of his life, to continue working in public relations for AT&T's Bell Laboratories. Bill married Marygrace (McAuley) Robinson on July 1, 1972 in Sterling, New Jersey. Following his retirement from AT&T after 20 years in 1985, Bill consulted for a former colleague's trade publication business, promoted his wife's business as a family therapist, helped raise his sons William J. Robinson and Michael A. Robinson, volunteered for the Interfaith Hospitality Network and the Boy Scouts, and was an adjunct instructor of English at Seton Hall University. Bill enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren, watching old movies, and working on his various writing projects. Bill is survived by his son William J. Robinson and wife Katherine Magnuson of Madison, Wisconsin; his son Michael A. Robinson and wife Sarah Robinson of Portland, Maine; and 4 grandchildren Rachel, Abby, Zachary and Sarah. He is preceded in death by his parents, his son Jonathan, and his wife of 42 years Marygrace M. Robinson. Funeral service will be held Friday, June 19, 2015 at Quinn Hopping Funeral Home in Livingston, NJ with a burial following at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, NJ. Those wishing to express their sympathy with a memorial may wish to consider a gift to Catholic Charities in Bill's name.