Long-time overseas Marylander, Dr. Thomas H. Robinson passed away in June 2012 in La Conner, Washington, a small town near where he was born. Tom was 74.
Tom earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy at Stanford University, took his master's at the University of Washington and received the Ph.D. in British history from the Claremont Graduate University. He joined the UMUC overseas programs in the mid-1970s and served as a collegiate faculty member and administrator until retiring in 1997.
During his nearly three decades with Maryland, Tom taught history and philosophy with both the Asian and the European Divisions. Administratively, Tom served as Area Coordinator on Guam, Academic Coordinator for History, and later as Area Director for the UMUC program in Korea for several years.
Upon retirement, Tom returned to the state of Washington where he became active in community affairs relating to local history and the performing arts. At the time of his death, Tom was working on a history of the town of La Conner.
The many Marylanders who worked with Tom in the overseas programs will surely remember him as a gentleman of the old school. Cultured, courteous, and well educated, he was a scholar with a keen eye for detail and an affable colleague who always extended himself upon behalf of others.
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David Garretson
Yes Tom was a great guy. I enjoyed working with him in Korea.
Dennis Gwynn
Although I was not available, I appreciate Tom asking me to return to Korea in 1995 two years after my retirement.
Robert Newman
I knew Tom Robinson in both the European and Asian Divisions, and he was well known for "adopting" new entrants into the program, and giving them a "social context" for seeing the bigger picture of what the UMUC experience was all about. Enroute to Brunssum, Holland in 1979 (Tom was driving), Tom took me to some of his favorite Inns in the Ardenne Forest area, and demonstrated the Good Life as he had experienced it in earlier years.
In the Okinawa program in the early days of the Reagan Administration, Tom was a key player in the "moveable feast" of kindred spirits which made that locale so memorable. In Joe Arden's beautifully written obit on this site, Joe referred to Tom's "old school" character, which is quite accurate, but I would add that Tom was extremely self-effacing and able to poke fun at himself as the "old school" type. That's a truly unusual quality, but this was a Man of unusual social skills.
Tom's intellectual vitality was and is an inspiration to me. As Joe mentioned, Tom was writing a History of his home town of LaConner, Washington in his final years. That was so like Tom, to never rest on his considerable laurels, but to remain active to the end. The loss of Tom Robinson is a hard one for his many friends and admirers.
Jeff Gramlich
I joined the Asian Division in August 1984. At frequent retreats to a bath, spa, and massage place in Okinawa, Tom, Michael Waldo, and I decided it would be wise to travel around the world over Christmas break, which we did. Over the course of less than a month, we visited Hong Kong, Bangkok, New Delhi, Rome, France (for skiing), England (where Tom tried to teach this accountant something about history), and the U.S., where we each visited our own friends and family. We had such fun, and Tom opened my mind to so many new ideas about life. Thank you, deeply, Tom. RIP