Alumna honors siblings with scholarship

More than 70 years ago on a rural road in Burt, not far from his family’s farm, Theodore “Ted” Robinson hitched a ride from his hometown to Bay City Junior College, now Delta College. 

Robinson, the middle of three siblings, sought to get a college education. 

“My mom asked him, ‘How are you going to get there?’” said Ruby Robinson, Ted’s oldest sister and Delta alumna. “He persisted and every day he’d find a ride to get to college until he was drafted.”

Ted served in the Army and later attended American Baptist Theological Seminary and Carolina Christian College. His career spanned work in various sectors, with positions at General Motors and Saginaw Public Schools and roles as a chaplain, teacher and security guard. He was a member of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Burt.

The youngest Robinson sibling, Bobby Ann, was also passionate about education. She was an elementary teacher and administrator for several area schools and a community advisor for the Saginaw Career Complex, among other community roles. She received an associate degree from Delta, bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Central Michigan University, and a doctorate from Michigan State University.

Ted and Bobby Ann passed away in 2010 and 2015, respectively, but their legacy and determination lives on through the Robinson Family Scholarship Endowment and the Ted Robinson Learning Commons, located in the Downtown Saginaw Center. Ruby, who taught English for Saginaw Public Schools for 33 years, established the new scholarship in 2021 to honor her family’s strong belief in higher education. 

The new scholarship will be awarded annually to residents of Saginaw County, with a preference given to graduates of Saginaw High School, who are attending Delta for business or social sciences. 

The Robinsons’ friends and family gathered in downtown Saginaw in November to celebrate.

“Education gives us an understanding of the world around us,” Ruby said. “My hope is that this scholarship makes it easier for a student to get an education in Saginaw at a school that values safety and belonging.”

The Ted Robinson Learning Commons

Ruby Robinson said her brother often said how much he wished downtown Saginaw had its own college.  

“When Delta opened a center in downtown Saginaw I thought, ‘This is his dream,’” said Ruby. “Ted’s legacy is indicative of the work of Delta now and in the future.” 

A key feature of the Downtown Saginaw Center, which opened in 2019, is the newly named Ted Robinson Learning Commons. Located on the second floor, students can gather in the space that includes library resources and private meeting rooms for group work, complete with a view of the downtown area from Genesee Avenue. 

The Downtown Saginaw Center was built to make college classes easily accessible to those living nearby. The three-story building features classrooms, computer labs and student spaces. The first classes were offered in fall 2019, and today, nearly 500 students attend classes at the center.