Alex and Leona Robinson
The Jewish Encyclopedia
of Western Pennsylvania
A project of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
Sylvia and Donald Robinson were communal, philanthropic and business leaders in the Jewish community of Pittsburgh.
The son of community leaders, Alex (1893-1992) and Leona Robinson (1895-1976), Donald Robinson (1925-2017) was raised in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood and graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School. After high school, Robinson enlisted in the U.S. Navy College Training Program to serve in World War II. He graduated from the University of South Carolina’s Navy Supply Corps School and later Harvard Business School. After graduation, Robinson was commissioned as an ensign and assigned to the USS General Harry Taylor where he served as the ship’s disbursement and procurement officer, transporting troops from Europe. He became a Lieutenant JG and completed his service in the reserves.[1]Donald Robinson Obituary, Sylvia and Donald Robinson Papers and Photographs [MSS 1236], Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
Donald Robinson married Sylvia Miller (1929-2018) in 1947.
Robinson worked for A. Robinson & Sons, Inc., a wholesale tobacco and candy store owned by his father. The company evolved into the White Cross pharmacy chain around 1961, which had approximately 180 locations across multiple states and was eventually listed on the New York Stock Exchange.[2]Donald Robinson Obituary, Sylvia and Donald Robinson Papers and Photographs [MSS 1236], Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center It merged with Revco in 1972, with stores in several states. Among his many philanthropic efforts, he was the national president and chair of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, national chair of the Interfaith Hunger Appeal, and as member of the board of the United Israel Appeal and the Council of Jewish Federation and Welfare Funds. In his later years, he became a semi-professional photographer, known for his nature photography.
Born to Ethel and Morris Miller, Sylvia Miller Robinson originally lived in the South Side neighborhood before her family moved to Squirrel Hill when she was 12 years old.[3]National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section Records, 1894-2011, AIS.1964.40, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System (online). Miller graduated from Colfax Elementary, Taylor Allderdice High School and attended the University of Pittsburgh. She engaged in many philanthropic ventures in the Pittsburgh area and founded the American Friends of Israel War Disabled in the 1970s. Robinson held board positions at the Riverview Center for Jewish Seniors, Jewish Association on Aging, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Youth Symphony and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.[4]Sylvia Robinson Community Service Resume, Sylvia and Donald Robinson Papers and Photographs [MSS 1236], Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center As a result of her commitment and leadership to the Jewish community, Robinson was presented with the Emanuel Spector Memorial Award by the United Jewish Federation. Also, an amateur actor, Robinson had multiple roles in the Jewish Theatre of Pittsburgh, Jewish Community Center Productions, and City Theatre New Works Festival.
Sylvia and Donald Robinson had two children, Stephen and Carol.
Community activists in their own right, Alex and Leona Robinson gifted a social hall to the Tree of Life Congregation in 1973, which was named the Alex and Leona Robinson Pavilion after the couple. The Robinsons also donated a community center to Pardess Hanna, Israel.
References
| ↑1, ↑2 | Donald Robinson Obituary, Sylvia and Donald Robinson Papers and Photographs [MSS 1236], Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center |
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| ↑3 | National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section Records, 1894-2011, AIS.1964.40, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System (online). |
| ↑4 | Sylvia Robinson Community Service Resume, Sylvia and Donald Robinson Papers and Photographs [MSS 1236], Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center |
