Member Profile
Carolina and the Robinsons: A family affair
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| The Robinson family,bottom row (l to r):Kathy,Mary Kathryn,Ronnie (BS ’81);top row: Anna (’10),Luke ,Pam,Neal (BSBA’75),Will (BA ’05,MAC ’07) |
Kathy and Neal Robinson (BSBA ’75) love Carolina football games. Neal’s late brother, Ronnie (BS ’81), did too. In fact, on any given Saturday during football season, an impressive contingent of the Robinson clan could be found in or around Kenan Stadium rooting for the Heels. “The UNC games weren’t just about us being intense fans, though that was certainly part of it,” Neal Robinson said, “it was more that football Saturday was a designated time we spent with friends and family, laughing, sharing and making memories in one of the most beautiful and nostalgic places there could be.”
Those times have become even more precious since Ronnie Robinson’s untimely death at age 46 in 2005. Before he died, Ronnie’s family established the Ronald E. Robinson Memorial Scholarship Fund at UNC to celebrate his life and to provide scholarship support to a deserving student, potentially one who had lost a parent. “I really hadn’t thought too much about how we could support the University until we attended a scholarship dinner in 2005 honoring donors and recognizing the students,” Neal Robinson said. “The students we met were simply amazing, and it occurred to me that a scholarship would be the perfect way to honor Ronnie. The idea of helping students with that need who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to attend UNC was really inspiring and something we knew Ronnie would go for.” In addition, daughter Anna, (’10), and the rest of the family, will now have a legacy to connect Ronnie’s memory forever to the University.
Even better was the fact that the Robinsons could take advantage of Neal’s company’s matching program to increase the value of their annual gift to the fund. As a Vice President and Financial Adviser with Morgan Stanley in Winston-Salem, N.C., Robinson dedicates his life to helping people invest their resources to ensure and enhance their future. “I can’t think of a better investment than the future of these bright kids,” he said. “The way we’re doing it, a lot of people could fund a scholarship like this. It’s a very small commitment for such a significant opportunity.”
Robinson says that his family’s ability to make a special contribution that fits into their financial lives was a key factor in how they approached their support of Carolina. “Like a lot of people, I can’t strike a five- or six-figure check at one time, but I can make a difference,” Robinson said. “Between our contributions, and those of my company, a great deal is being accomplished for a great cause. We are the University and I personally want to help kids have the experience I had.”
Thanks to the Robinsons, more students will have the chance to be “amazing.”
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