James William Robinson, Ph.D., D.Sc.

"Dr. James William Robinson passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 4th at the age of 95 in the comfort of his son's home.  James was born in Kidderminster, England.  He served in the British Royal Airforce as a pilot during World War II. After immigrating to the United States, he became a citizen in 1965.  James was married to Winifred Robinson for over 65 wonderful years.  James, affectionately known as "Big Jim" by his family is survived by his son, Dr. James William Robinson and wife Christine; daughter Linda J. Robinson; grandchildren Angel, James, David, Mark and Michael; seven great-grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild.  James will be missed by his dear friend of the past 5 years, Doreen Diener, and her lovely family.  James will be greatly missed by his family and multitude of friends and colleagues in the U.S. as well as abroad.  He was preceded in death by his wife Winnifred and daughter Sandra.  As an avid LSU football fan, James was a season ticket holder since 1956, never missing a game.  For many years, James and Winnie were members of the Cosmopolitan Dance Club.  James was selected as King of Romney in 1994.  He was a Mason since 1992.  James was a longtime supporter and benefactor to the Baton Rouge Symphony, the LSU Music School and the Theater Baton Rouge.  Professionally, James earned his Bachelor of Science, with Honors (1949), Doctor of Philosophy (1952), and Doctor of Science (1978) in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham, England.  Dr. Robinson began his career with the British Civil Service as a Senior Scientific Officer before immigrating to the United States in 1955, where he completed a one-year term as a Research Associate at Louisiana State University.  From 1956 to 1964, Dr. Robinson worked in the research labs at both Esso and Ethyl, and in 1964, he joined the LSU Department of Chemistry as an Associate Professor.  In 1993, Dr. Robinson was nominated by his students as Outstanding Teacher of the Year.  In 2007 and Dr. Robinson was included in "Who's Who in America".  James was the first student from King Charles 1 School, founded in 1566, to continue his education and receive a Ph.D.  In recognition of his outstanding achievements and because he continued his scholarly accomplishments and lectured at major universities worldwide, Dr. Robinson received an Honorary Membership in the "Old Carolians Association".  In 1966, Dr. Robinson became a Full Professor and retired as Professor Emeritus in 1993 from LSU.  Dr. Robinson's pioneering research in Analytical Chemistry and Atomic Spectroscopy led to the first comprehensive book, Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy.  As a researcher and scientist, Dr. Robinson developed a remote detection method for nerve gas used by the military and he was the first to demonstrate the use of laser fluorescence used in hospitals currently.  Dr. Robinson published 207 peer-reviewed manuscripts and mentored 45 graduate students, many of whom have enjoyed notable careers.  He was Editor in Chief of the International Journal "Spectroscopy Letters" and the first International Journal of "Environmental Science and Health" and Editor on the Monograph Series of books on "Analysis of Environmental Control".  He was Assistant Editor of "Analytica Chimica Acta", "Applied Spectroscopy Reviews" and "Journal of Applied Spectroscopy".   Dr. Robinson's books included the "Handbook of Spectroscopy", the "Practical Handbook of Spectroscopy", "Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy" and the "Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis" which went into the 7th edition and was translated into Japanese, Spanish and Chinese.  He was recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Chemical Society, selected for the American Institute of Chemistry's Honor Scroll, received a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Gold Medal Award of the New York Section of the Society of Applied Spectroscopy and was inducted into the LSU College of Science Hall of Distinction 2011.  Dr. Robinson was on the National University Accreditation Committee, Research Grants Advisory Committee of the Environmental Protection Agency, Chairman of the Gordon Conference on Analytical Chemistry and the Society of Applied Spectroscopy Annual National Meeting, General Chair of the National Meeting, Society of Applied Spectroscopy and Director of the Saul Gordon Center for Professional Advancement.  In 2017, from the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge England, Dr. Robinson received the Induction into the Top 100 Scientists and additionally was included in the "Great Men and Women of Science", 2018, Edition 1.  As a scientist, Dr. Robinson was always on the cutting edge in developing atomic absorption procedures to measure the concentration of lead in air pollution leading to laws banning lead in gasoline.  He proved the presence of cadmium atoms in solar wind using moon dust.  It was his lead in publishing the existence of acid rain, which prompted the EPA to place further restrictions on SO2 and SO3 emissions.  Since his "retirement" Dr. Robinson actively continued his research on the characterization of human artherosclerotic plaque, one of the factors known to contribute to heart disease.  Visitation and light refreshments will be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government Street, Saturday, December 15, beginning at 1:00 pm, with a Memorial Service at 3:00 pm, followed by a celebration of his life by family and friends at James' beloved home on the Lake.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the endowed scholarship in perpetuity he established, the "James W. Robinson Graduate Student Scholarship in Analytical Chemistry," through the LSU Foundation, www.lsufoundation.org/jamesrobinson.