Arthur Robinson
30th November 1935 – 10th May 2020
Born into a working-class family in Mansfield in Nottinghamshire in November 1935, Arthur succeeded at school (namely Brunts Grammar School) to the point of winning a place at Queens’ College, Cambridge University. After being awarded a BA (Hons) in Mathematics in 1958, he completed an additional year there and gained a Certificate in Education in 1959. During his years at Cambridge, Arthur played for the Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club and was a very active team member in the College Football, Badminton (he was the top Badminton player!), Tennis, and Squash clubs.
Following his time at Cambridge, Arthur began his teaching career as a Professor of Mathematics at Wellington College in Berkshire. After some four years there, he moved to become second in command of Mathematics at Atlantic College in South Wales, where he spent the following seven years teaching, but also helping with the Arduous Training Camps and coaching on the tennis courts.
Having met and married his wife Julie Downie and adopted a son, Huw, Arthur and his family moved to Switzerland in late 1971. The move became permanent and in 1974, they adopted their daughter, Wendy. Arthur was initially employed as Professor of Mathematics at the International School of Geneva from 1972, he was later promoted to Head of Department, where he proved to be something of an innovator. He introduced pocket calculators, which in those days were a marvel, (slide rules and log tables being the norm for scientific calculations). Prior to many other schools, he initiated a full Computer Science program and was instrumental in having a Digital PDP 11 computer installed for student use. Perhaps his proudest achievement was being instrumental in the development of the mathematics portion of the International Baccalaureate (IB).
In 1986, the opportunity arose to spend a year on exchange at the Armand Hammer United World College (UWC -USA) in Montezuma, New Mexico. On returning to Geneva in 1987, Arthur resumed his role as Head of the Mathematics and Computing Department at the International School of Geneva ‘La Grande Boissière’ campus, and later also at its other campus ‘La Châtaigneraie’.
Arthur took early retirement in 1995 after suffering ill health, purchasing a maison de village in Sciez, a small village just over the French border from Geneva in 1999.
Apart from mathematics and teaching, it was music that mattered most to Arthur as a satisfying pursuit. He loved listening to music, but above all he loved singing. Blessed with a beautiful mellow baritone voice, he was a stalwart for some years of the Holy Trinity choir, and sang in the Foundation Choir (which is loosely associated with the International School), and the Geneva Amateur Operatic Society’s Choral Group. More recently he sang with his village choir.
Even after the death of his wife in 2015, he kept up his singing until ill health prevented him from continuing. He passed away peacefully on 10th May 2020 in France.
Arthur was intelligent, witty, loyal, friendly and a man of principle. He is greatly missed by his family, friends, former colleagues, and generations of students.
Wendy Gamage
6th April 2021
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