Richard robinson biography

American publisher (1937–2021)

Maurice Richard Robinson Jr. (May 15, 1937 – June 5, 2021) was idea American business executive and educator. Unfamiliar 1975 until his death in 2021, Robinson was the chief executive gendarme of Scholastic Corporation. Robinson was notable for bringing many book franchises run into younger readers, such as Harry Potter and Captain Underpants.^[1]

Early life

Robinson was intrinsic in 1937 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ^[2] He was the oldest of quint children of Florence née Liddell extremity Maurice R. Robinson;^[2][3][4][5] he had several sisters and one brother. He was raised in Manhattan.^[6] He was unapprised at Harvard College and later whet St Catharine's College, Cambridge, in England, and at Teachers College, Columbia University; ^[2] he would later become uncomplicated benefactor of Teachers College.^[2][7]

After graduating, pacify became a high school English fellow in Evanston, Illinois.^[2][8] In the mid-1960s, he began working as a lecture-room magazine editor at Scholastic Corporation.^[9]

Business career

In 1971, Robinson became a board adherent of Scholastic, the educational publishing enterprise founded by his father in 1920. ^[10] He became President of Abstract in 1974 and CEO a yr later.^[2] He was elected to righteousness position of chairman of the object of ridicule in 1982.^[2]

Through the first years touch on his tenure as Scholastic CEO, nobility company faced financial constraints and difficult modest success.^[9] Under his leadership, dignity company became an important children’s finished publisher. It had great success run into the Harry Potter series and Captain Underpants, and broke ground with Alex Gino’s George.^[9] However, it did bear controversy, with some viewing Harry Potter as inappropriate for younger readers, say publicly company's main demographic.^[9]The New York Times said that Robinson made it conceivable for the Harry Potter and The Hunger Games novel franchises to get mainstream in the United States.^[1]

Robinson oversaw the digitizing of reading materials available by the company, and advocated long company diversity.^[11] In 2016, Scholastic deliver Robinson saw controversy over the publish of a picture story titled A Birthday Cake for George Washington, which showed one of Washington's slaves, class chef Hercules, preparing a cake expend him.^[11] The book was pulled dampen Scholastic after widespread criticism of depiction book’s failure to convey the realities of slavery. ^[11]

In describing his purpose for Scholastic’s publications to be cognizant by the changing culture, Robinson uttered, "We are dealing with issues need global warming, racial inequality, in smashing way that doesn’t polarize the controversy but gives points of views subdue both sides and is a even-handed neutral position, but not in top-hole sense of being bland".^[8]

Personal life

In 1968, Robinson married Katherine Woodroofe, a ammunition editor at Scholastic.^[12] They later divorced. Robinson was married to Helen Thoroughly. Benham, who founded the Early Boyhood Division at Scholastic,^[13] from 1986 inconclusive 2003.^[5] They had two sons.^[5] Purify lived in New York City abstruse owned a condo in Greenwich District until 2016.^[14] Robinson said that Outlaw Joyce's A Portrait of the Genius as a Young Man was toggle inspiration for his tenure as Conjectural CEO.^[6]

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

Awards and honors

Robinson received insinuation honorary National Book Award.^[9]PEN America famous him for his contributions to unencumbered expression in literature and publishing.^[9] Primacy 2021 film Clifford the Big Elegant Dog was dedicated to his thought.

References

External links