OBITUARY JAMES B. ROBINSON
James B. Robinson, a life-long resident and community leader in Chattanooga,
Tennessee, died on July 17, 2014 after a long illness.
Jim spent his business career as CEO of The American Manufacturing Co., a
fabricator of wire products founded by his great-grandfather. A list of his civic
roles and contributions includes the chairmanship or presidency of the Chattanooga Manufacturers Association, the Chattanooga Electric Power Company,
the Metropolitan YMCA, the Chattanooga Area Healthcare Coalition and the
Wellness Council. He was a board member of the Chattanooga Area Regional
Transportation Authority, the United Way, the Chattanooga Community Foundation and AmSouth Bank of Tennessee.
Jim was a “Founding Father” and charter member of the Rivermont Presbyterian
Church where he taught Sunday School and sang in the choir for 50 years.
He was an active jogger and scuba diver for most of his life. A favorite volunteer
activity was diving in the tanks of the Tennessee Aquarium, hand-feeding large
fish. A railroad buff, he became a restoration volunteer at the Tennessee Valley
Railroad Museum. For many years he chaired the board of the Forman School
in Connecticut, which served children with dyslexia.
At Dartmouth, Jim was a member of Theta Delta Chi (where his guitar playing
was applauded) and the undergraduate council. Following graduation, he served
for three years as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Jim loved his college, saying
in later life that “Dartmouth made a somebody out of a nobody.”
Jim’s wife, Carol, predeceased him. He is survived by 3 children and 6 grandchildren.