By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor
MANCHESTER — Manchester Academic Charter School (MACS) is mourning the passing of one of its co-founders, Dr. Betty Robinson, who died on Sept. 3 at the age of 96.
Robinson co-founded the school in 1998 alongside her husband, Rev. James Robinson, who passed away less than two months prior on July 14 at the age of 97.
For the staff and faculty at MACS, the loss is keenly felt.
“It was heavy,” said Shayonna Herring, a fourth grade teacher and former student of the school, of hearing the news. “It was very heavy.”
Dr. Robinson had a long history in Pittsburgh education. In 1955, she became the first Black teacher at the now-closed Beltzhoover Elementary School. She held positions at many schools across the city, including working at Manchester Elementary School, and later became a principal in Pittsburgh Public Schools.
In 1968, she founded the Bidwell Art, Music and Recreation Center alongside her husband. The program would later be renamed to Manchester Youth Development Center and laid the groundwork for MACS’ founding.
Even after passing over the formal leadership role at the school to MACS current CEO, Vasilios Scoumis, in the early 2000s, Dr. Robinson stayed heavily involved with the school. In fact, many of the staff and former students affectionately refer to her as “Gram” — as in grandmother.
“Fifteen years after she retired, people would still call me and say ‘you’ve got to check with Gram,’” Scoumis said.
Many of the MACS staff members who spoke to The Chronicle about Dr. Robinson noted her “kids come first” philosophy, saying that she would drop what she was doing if a matter involving a child came up, and the care to which she showed those students.
“Gram always tells people I was her worst interview ever, but I will say she was the worst interviewee ever because she just interrupted for kids,” Scoumis said. “Kids were number one in her world.”
Herring recalled an incident when she was a kid attending MACS in which Dr. Robinson corrected her when she was misbehaving. While Herring felt frustrated about the correction in the moment, her attitude changed.
“Later on, I realized it was because she had such high expectations for us,” she said. “She knew what we should and shouldn’t be doing.”
“I feel like she helped mold me into being a better student,” she added later.
Lynne Baldwin, a reading support staff member at MACS who knew the Robinsons since she was young, said Dr. Robinson encouraged staff to pay attention to each kid’s individual needs.
“You don’t look at a child and decide who they’re going to be,” she said of Dr. Robinson’s philosophy. “They’ll let you know who they’re going to be by your interaction with them, and you always learn from them.”
Anna Marie Rainey, a MACS elementary social worker, noted that MACS students love coming to the school thanks to the atmosphere Dr. Robinson helped create.
“Kids come as early as 7 a.m. and they leave at 6 p.m., and they don’t want to leave,” she said. “That’s a legacy.”
In fact, MACS is known for having multiple generations attend the school. Scoumis said at the school’s last orientation, there were eight parents who came through as kids and were now having their own children attend.
Many staff members noted the family-like atmosphere at MACS which was fostered by Dr. Robinson. Scoumis said Dr. Robinson would refer to him as her “Greek son,” and said he saw her as a “second mom.”
Others shared the sentiments.
“For me, I always looked at it as family,” said Herring. “Although I might not technically be a Robinson, I always looked at everyone as family.”
While saddened by the loss, Scoumis was gladdened that Dr. Robinson could join her husband again, referring to the two as a “unit” that did everything together.
Rev. Robinson is well known as the first Black football player at the University of Pittsburgh. He, alongside his wife, was heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement, leading protests during the 1960s.
Dr. Robinson’s funeral service was held on Sept. 13 at Bidwell Presbyterian Church. For anyone wishing to pay tribute to Dr. Robinson, posts can be made on her obituary at obriensfuneralhome.com. In addition, options are given to send Dr. Robinson’s family flowers or to plant a tree in her memory.
