Obituary of John Tichenor Robinson

Robinson, John T., 70, of Treasure Island, long active in political, civic and religious affairs, died Sunday August 12, 2001 at Kindred Hospital of St. Petersburg. Born in Buffalo, New York, the son of a Baptist minister, he moved to St. Petersburg with his parents in 1939 and graduated from St. Petersburg High School Class of 1948, St. Petersburg Junior College, attended Stetson University College of Law and the University of South Florida and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore Law School. Robinson owned and operated a retail store at age 14 and operated the leased shoe department at Rutland?s Department Store. With his mentor, Hubert Rutland, he became a founding director of Central Plaza Bank and Trust Company later First Florida and served as Vice President and member of the Board of Directors for 10 years when he sold his interest in the bank and entered law school. In 1977 he founded Robinson-Steagall, at that time one of St. Petersburg?s larger law firms. He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United State in 1975. Elected at age 27 to the Gulfport, Florida City Council, he was elected Mayor of Gulfport in 1958 and served in that capacity from 1958 to 1960 and from 1964 to 1967. He received the Democratic Party?s nomination for State Senate in the 1960 election headed by John F. Kennedy. He met several times with President?s Kennedy and Johnston. In that race he received 46% of the vote against current Congressman Bill Young. Robinson served as the first president of the Pinellas County Conference of Mayors, served as an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Pinellas County Democratic Party, was the Chairman of the Florida League of Cities ? Small Cities Division, he was president of the Pinellas County Young Democratic Club and Vice President of the statewide Young Democratic Club. In the 1980?s he served as City Attorney for the town of South Pasadena. Robinson was also an ordained Baptist Minister, one of the founders of the Clearwater Baptist Church and served as a deacon in that church as well as Calvary Baptist Church of Gulfport where he was minister of music for many years. He served on the Board of Directors of Youth for Christ of St. Petersburg and the Board of Directors of Florida Beacon College. In 1993, he received an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Florida Beacon College. He was guest speaker at many area churches. He was also President of Coastal Utilities Corporation, an honorary member of the Gulfport Lion?s Club, and an honorary member of the Pinellas Industry Council. He was a member of Starkey Road Baptist Church, the Florida Bar, the National Association of Trial Lawyers, and the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and served as a director of the Treasure Island Yacht & Tennis Club. Since the age of nine, Robinson was an avid collector of automobiliana and was nationally known for his collection of automobile sales literature, toy automobiles and automotive art. In 1946 he was one of the first members of the Horseless Carriage Club of America. He was also a member of the Antique Automobile Club of America. His survivors include three sons, John Tichenor Robinson, Jr. and Paul Calvert Robinson of St. Petersburg, Mark David Robinson, Naples, two daughters, Tich Robinson and Michelle Lavalla , St. Petersburg and three grandchildren.