Chapter 18: Jerry H. Robbins (1982-1984): Modernizing the Society

Jerry H. Robbins came from a family of educators. His father, Hal Robbins, a long-time high school principal in De Queen, Arkansas, spent the summers in the 1940s working on teaching certification and administrative credentials. As a consequence, the entire family spent a great deal of time at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock during the summers. Although his mother, Barbara Rogers Robbins, was a stay at home mother during his early years, she later attended college and became an elementary school teacher. All three of the Robbins’ sons became professional educators. Jon Robbins was a high school science teacher in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and Don Robbins was a high school social studies teacher in North Little Rock. Jerry H. Robbins began his secondary teaching career as a mathematics and music teacher and moved almost immediately into administrative positions, beginning with an appointment as a High School principal, followed by a University faculty position, Department Chair, and Dean of several Colleges of Education.