Year Honored: 1990

Birth: 1867 - 1962

Born in: Massachusetts

Biography

Born in Barry County, Michigan Winnifred J. Robinson was the only child of Walter Joseph and Pamela Wheelock Robinson. Walter Joseph died two months before her birth, leaving Robinson to be raised by her mother, grandmother, and aunt.

After beginning her education at the public schools in her hometown of Battle Creek, Michigan, Robinson went on to pursue a degree in biology from the University of Michigan in 1899, and later a master's degree and doctorate in botany, both from Columbia University. Although she had earned her doctorate by 1912, her colleagues referred to her as “Miss Robinson,” including throughout her tenure as Dean of the Women’s College, intended as a sign of respect.

In 1884, at age 17, Robinson began teaching grade school, initiating a lifelong interest and involvement in education. Robinson became an instructor at Vassar College and later, a secondary school principal, before taking a position at the University of Delaware in 1914. There she served as Dean of the newly established Women’s College, working to establish a viable institution of higher education for Delaware women. During her tenure she helped to increase enrollment, attendance, and faculty participation at the university. In addition to her work as Dean, Robinson also helped to establish home economics classes for women in agricultural areas throughout the state.

On the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Women’s College, Dean Robinson was distinguished with an honorary Doctor of Law, and in 1938 the Science Hall was renamed Robinson Hall in her honor.
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Sources and Additional Reading

Beneath Thy Guiding Hand: A History of Women at the University of Delaware (Carol E. Hoffecker, 1994)

University of Delaware, A History (John A. Munroe, 1986)

Winifred J. Robinson Papers. Manuscript and Archival Collections Finding Aid. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://library.udel.edu/special/findaids/view?docId=ead%2Fmss0413.xml%3Btab