Floyd
Robinson
Very
few of us in the CASHS Class of 1965 would characterize our high school days
with words like wealth, privilege, or ease, but most of us did benefit from
large doses of opportunity and encouragement. It's easy to realize that our
environment was not universal. Through his high school and college days our
classmate Floyd Robinson exuded friendliness, poise, talent, and potential, but
did not always enjoy the opportunity and support that most of us took for
granted. Floyd has allowed the following explanation presented below only after
considerable reluctance on his part and persuasion on our part.
Floyd's
high school guidance counselor, better left nameless, told Floyd that he could
not take the college preparatory curriculum because his chances for going on to
college were quite dim. The general curriculum was assigned to him despite his
protest. This counselor said the best he could anticipate after high school was
a trade school in the area.
During
his senior year, when he announced to this same guidance counselor that he
wanted to go on to college, she strongly tried to dissuade him. He fervently
insisted that he wanted to study beyond high school and after months of meeting
in her office on a regular basis, she acquiesced and told him that the chances
were slim at best that he would ever finish a four year program. Because he
insisted, she recommended two colleges only, Morgan State and Lincoln. For
multiple reasons, he knew that both schools were out of his grasp, so he
suggested Shippensburg. It was close, he could live at home, and many friends
and peers were attending. Taking on that battle with her was a tough one.
She had answered his pleas many times with reasons why he would not get into
Shippensburg. One of her most searing comments was one that will remain with him
forever. Her reason for encouraging the two racially minority schools was that
she felt that at some point in time he could become "a credit to his race"
and that going to either one of the two schools would enhance his chances.
Floyd's mother's response to that comment was, "Which race? The human
race?"
This
sad anecdote from the times in which we grew up has a positive turn. Floyd did
get acceptance and admission to Shippensburg and graduated with a degree in
English and Speech. The summer between his junior and senior years at
Shippensburg, he was employed by the Upward Bound Program housed at Mercersburg
Academy. A week into the program, he was asked to teach an English class.
Unbeknownst to him, the then Headmaster of the Academy sat in on one of his
classes. Floyd just assumed he was a representative of the federal government
who financed these summer programs throughout the country at the time. The
visitor never introduced himself and left before the class ended. Weeks later,
Floyd received an invitation to the office of the Headmaster and it was only
then that he discovered the identity of his mystery class visitor. The
Headmaster said he had heard about Floyd"s teaching technique and wanted to
observe. It was then that he also disclosed that he wanted to hire minority
faculty at the Academy within the next two years. Remember this was still
1968. He knew that Floyd was about to begin his senior year at Shippensburg and
asked that he send him his mid-year grades and of course the end of year
transcript as well.
Floyd
never shared this news with anyone to avoid having to explain why he did not get
the teaching position should that happen. He sent his unofficial mid-year grades
to the Headmaster and assured him that once the school year ended he would have
the official final transcript in the mail. At the end of the senior year he went
to the Shippensburg Dean of Academic Affairs to request that his final
transcript be sent to Mercersburg Academy. When the Dean learned where it was to
be sent, he refused. He said there was no chance of teaching at that private
boarding school because they had no minorities on the faculty and would
certainly not be hiring Floyd. Even after an explanation in detail of how this
had come to pass, he refused.
Fortunately
through Floyd's campus activities he had become friends with the Shippensburg
College President. When Floyd went to the home of the President and explained
the dilemma, he asked Floyd to meet him at 8:00 the next morning in his office.
That next morning together they walked to the Dean's office. Needless to say,
Floyd received a copy of the transcript and a copy was forwarded to Mercersburg
Academy resulting in a job offer and seven rewarding years of teaching English
at Mercersburg.
Now
let's take a look at what Floyd has accomplished with his talent and
determination despite the road blocks and discouragement thrown in front of him.
After his seven years of teaching at Mercersburg Academy as one of the first two
minority instructors at the Academy he was hired as the Assistant to the VP of
Human Resources with Gulf Oil Chemicals of Houston TX in their initiative to
bring a visible minority presence. Floyd's photo frequently appeared in
their monthly journals including on several journal covers. When Chevron bought
Gulf and moved operations to Miami, Floyd decided he was uncomfortable as a
corporate show pony. He resigned and moved to St Thomas, US Virgin Islands, to
become the manager of the US Virgin Islands travel offices of American Express.
After
his tenure in St Thomas he returned to Houston to manage a department of 150
employees at M D Anderson Cancer Center. Fortunately his adaptability,
diplomacy, and personal skills outweighed his inexperience in the medical field.
After seven successful years in that position Memorial Hermann Hospital lured
Floyd away with a significant salary increase. After two years in that position
he was assigned as a research assistant to Dr Stanley Dudrick, known as the
father of intravenous total parenteral nutrition, acknowledged as one of the
three most important advancements in surgery during the past century, along with
open heart surgery and organ transplantation.
In
May, 1994, Floyd applied for a position in public relations at the University of
Houston. It was a total shock to be chosen as Director of the University of
Houston Student Health Center. He initially resisted the offer but relented
under the condition that he stay in the position for just one year. It's
amusing that he retired from U of H in August, 2019, after a series of medical
related positions including Assistant Vice President within Student Affairs with
the responsibility of six major student service areas: Health Center,
Psychological Counseling Center, Recreation Center, Wellness Center, Students
with Disabilities Center, and a Drug/Alcohol Recovery Center. He was responsible
for initiating free university HIV testing, a men's health clinic, a dental
clinic, a psychiatric program on campus, and a support program for mental health
care-givers. He has been instrumental in spreading some of these initiatives to
other campuses including his alma mater Shippensburg University.
Floyd's
honors are many, some of which are listed in his bio on the University of
Houston website as follows. He received the Staff Excellence Award in 2005 from
UH. He was a member of the Title IX Sexual Violence Education and Prevention
Advisory Committee, co-chair of the Tobacco Task Force Oversight Committee,
co-chair of the Health and Counseling Center Feasibility Committee, and
appointed to the Texas Medical Center Flu Advisory Council. He is a member and
advisor to Delta Upsilon Fraternity; member of the Golden Key International
Honor Society; co-president of the US Association for the Club of Rome; Phi Beta
Delta Fraternity; and an Honorary Member of the Order of Omega Kappa Tau
Chapter.
We
remember Floyd's musical talents from our days at CASHS, but he has continued
to excel vocally through the present. He is a member and a leader of Houston's
50+ member Christ Church Cathedral Choir currently under the direction of 2020
Grammy award winner Robert Simpson. Floyd has served on the church Vestry and
remains very active in the leadership of the church. He has performed with
the Cathedral Choir at Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral in London. He
has been honored to sing with a choir directed by Leonard Bernstein at the
Academy of Music in Philadelphia and with a choir directed by Fred Waring. Floyd
is a Trustee and patron of the renowned Houston Symphony. Also he has performed with
Jean Stapleton at Totem Pole Playhouse.
Floyd
has not only become "a credit to his race" as the counselor once indicated
(or intimidated), but he has continued to bring pride to the CASHS Class of 65,
Shippensburg University, the University of Houston, and to every affiliation he
has made over the years. The world is a better place as a result of Floyd's
presence. We're proud to call him classmate and friend.