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Holly Frew
Office of Communications & Marketing
Robinson College of Business
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ATLANTA — The J. Mack Robinson College of Business remembers Harriett “Nita” Robinson with affection and gratitude. Mrs. Robinson, who died July 26 at age 97, was a business leader, philanthropist, and cherished friend who took lasting pride in the college and its students.
Known for her warmth, wit, and gracious hospitality, Mrs. Robinson helped strengthen educational, cultural, and civic institutions across Atlanta. She served on the boards of Delta Life Insurance Company, Atlantic American Corporation, and Gray Media. She and her late husband, J. Mack Robinson (1923-2014), were jointly recognized as Georgia Philanthropists of the Year in 1994.
Their relationship with Georgia State University holds a special place in that legacy. Mack’s $10 million endowment gift in 1998 led to the naming of the J. Mack Robinson College of Business. Nita remained an engaged friend, interested in the college’s progress and proud of what their support made possible.
In 2000, Mack established the Nita Robinson Scholars Endowment Fund in his wife’s name. The fund supports Robinson undergraduate and master’s students pursuing international business study and study abroad and was inspired by the Robinsons’ recognition of how much exposure to different cultures and business perspectives had enriched their own lives.
Winifred Akande in Kruger National Park during her 2009 study-abroad trip to South Africa as a Nita Robinson Scholar.
For Winifred Akande (B.B.A. ’10, MTAX ’11, MBA ’22), a Nita Robinson Scholarship made possible a summer 2009 trip to South Africa she could not have afforded on her own. “The Nita Robinson Scholarship helped take me halfway around the world to Cape Town and Johannesburg, where I was immersed in global business and culture,” Akande said. “I am a better person because of the opportunities I was given to travel, beginning with the Robinsons’ generosity.”
Regents’ Professor S. Tamer Cavusgil, executive director of Georgia State’s Center for International Business Education and Research, recalled Mrs. Robinson’s deep interest in students’ personal and professional growth. “She was keen on our students discovering the broader world out there, and experiencing the richness of cultures, languages, and geographies,” he said.
Dean Richard Phillips remembers annual holiday lunches with Mrs. Robinson and her daughter, Robin, early in his deanship. “Those lunches were a wonderful opportunity to share with Mrs. Robinson the difference the college was making in our students’ lives and across our region,” Phillips said. “At one lunch, she told me she considered their gift to the business school the most impactful philanthropy she and Mack had undertaken. She was proud to have the Robinson name associated with the college.”
“Her words have stayed with me,” Phillips said. “We will remember Mrs. Robinson with great affection and honor her confidence in the college through the opportunities we create for our students.”
The Robinson community extends its heartfelt sympathy to her daughters, Robin Robinson Howell and Jill Robinson Forsey, her grandchildren, and all who loved her. Her legacy will continue through the students who carry her name as Nita Robinson Scholars.