Dr. Herbert William Robinson (Robby)

Dr. Herbert William Robinson (Robby) passed away peacefully on Jan. 24, 2013.

He was born Jan. 2, 1914 in Hull, England, the son of Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Herbert Robinson, a humble milkman.

A memorial service will be held Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s By-The-Sea Episcopal Church, 302 N. Baltimore Ave, Ocean City, Md.

Dr. Robinson was preceded in death by his wife of almost 60 years, Elsie Caroline Robinson (2008) and their daughter, Denise P. Hall (1990). Dr. Robinson is survived by his son, Keith B. Robinson; six grandchildren, Jake B. Robinson, Lyndsey A. Robinson, Owen D. Robinson, Brandon L. Hall, Megan N. Hall and Caitlin S. Hall; and by one great-grandchild, Finley Thamert-Hall. A sister, Edna Chatterton, and a brother, Gordon Robinson, also survive him.

Dr. Robinson earned two doctorates, one in economics from the London School of Economics (Ph.D. Econ.) and one in statistics from the Balliol College at Oxford University (D. Phil.) and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Balliol College in 2000. Over the course of his life he had four books published.

The Charles Babbage Institute at the University of Minnesota in 1995 archived all of Dr. Robinson’s accomplishments in the field of computing.

With the outbreak of World War II, Dr. Robinson left Oxford for a position in Winston Churchill’s War Office. In 1943 the British Ministry of Production sent Dr. Robinson to America to interface with the U.S. War Production Board. In 1945 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and formally immigrated to the U.S. in 1946.

A citizen in the Washington D.C. area, Dr. Robinson worked for the VA, UNRRA and The World Bank before leaving to start his own company C-E-I-R, INC. in the fledgling field of computers. In 1960 CEIR was the first company ever to forecast election results.

Control Data acquired CEIR in 1967. Dr. Robinson resigned from Control Data to found International Management Systems Corporation (IMS Corp.). In various capacities, over the course of his business career, Dr. Robinson served five Presidents of the United States. A special commendation hangs on his office wall from President Lyndon Johnson.

In 1976 he moved his home and company’s operation to the newly created community of Fountain Hills. Dr. Robinson put his many talents to work in helping develop the town. He was an adviser to the Road District, a board member of the Chamber of Commerce and was elected to the Fountain Hills Sanitary District. His work toward an equitable taxing system earned him the Kiwanis “Citizen of the Year” award in 1979.

He was also one of the founding members of The Club and The Fountain Hills Republican Club.

As late as 1999, Dr. Robinson founded another company, OptimumPortfolio.com. His work on a customer-directed, computer stock selection system earned him a U.S. patent. The headquarters of IMS Corp is still located in Fountain Hills today.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church.