 | Dr. Franklin Robinson |
Dr. Franklin Robinson, clinical professor of neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine and attending neurosurgeon at Yale-New Haven Hospital, died Aug. 30 at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Dr. Robinson, for over four decades, was chief of the Section of Neurological Surgery at St. Raphael's Hospital. He was senior consultant in neurosurgery at Griffin Hospital in Derby and was a consultant at Veteran's Memorial Hospital Medical Center in Meriden. He was the husband of Gloria Robinson '69 Ph.D., who is presently a research affiliate and lecturer in the History of Medicine.
Dr. Robinson was president of the New Haven County Medical Association 1984-1985 and president of the American Medical Association Section of Neurosurgery of the Connecticut Medical Society 1964-1967 and again 1984-1985.
He graduated from Columbia College in 1939, obtained his M.D. in 1942 from Cornell University Medical College and received his neurosurgical training at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. Dr. Robinson served as a surgeon and flight surgeon with the U.S. Army Air Force from 1943-1946. He came to Yale in 1950 to serve as research fellow in neurophysiology under Professor John Fulton. In addition to his service in neurosurgery, Dr. Robinson also served on the clinical faculty of the Department of Pathology (neuropathology).
"Frank's first love was his family, but he had a second family often linked with the first, his family of neurosurgery," said Dr. Dennis Spencer, interim dean and the Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Neurosurgery at the School of Medicine. "Unlike most academic environs, Yale and the New Haven neurosurgery community have been blessed with strong teacher/student bonds, a tradition that Frank helped forge and a tradition that has led to one of the most conserved families of neurosurgery in the nation."
He noted that 80 percent of the full-time neurosurgery faculty at Yale were at one time students of Dr. Robinson and benefited from his wisdom. "When I entered the Yale neurosurgery residency over 30 years ago, it was Frank who tempered the often chaotic rigors of training with the two qualities that were to characterize him in my eyes throughout both our careers, rationality and intellect," Spencer said.
Dr. Robinson's love of science and patient care evolved into a love of history and, when he retired, became the natural fusion for his intellect and common sense, added Spencer. "He missed few conferences, he led our historical reviews, and no seemingly brilliant new surgical therapy escaped Frank's historical perspective that there is very little newly thought, merely technologically facilitated."
Dr. William Collins, former chief of neurosurgery, remembers Dr. Robinson fondly. He said that when he arrived in 1967 as the new chief, Dr. Robinson was just finishing his work in pathology, which focused primarily on the historical aspects of the specialty. In the past 30 years, Collins said, he knew he could count on Dr. Robinson to do whatever was necessary.
"I have been ever grateful for his help and support," Collins said. "He not only helped me and the service, but also many patients. He also helped educate a significant number of neurosurgeons. Up until almost the day he died, he contributed to the conferences and in his last week of life made suggestions for their improvement. He will be missed by everyone in neurosurgery."
Among Dr. Robinson's many roles in other professional and community activities, he was president of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences from 1997-2002, a period that included celebration of the organization's bicentennial. He was president of the Beaumont Medical Club of Connecticut in 1986-1987 and a trustee of the Friends of the Franklin Papers. An avid sailor and sailboat racer, Dr. Robinson was commander of the Milford Power Squadron in 1987-1988. He was also an accomplished amateur photographer.
Besides his wife, Dr. Robinson leaves a son, Geoffrey '71 B.A.; a daughter, Dorothy, vice president and general counsel at Yale University, and two granddaughters, Julia and Alexandra, and a great grandson, Ngahere. He was predeceased by a daughter, Helen '71 Ph.D. and a brother, George.
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