Former UCLA faculty member dies at 85

Lawrence Robinson, a former physics professor at UCLA, died on
March 21, 2005, in Los Angeles. He was 85.

Throughout his life, Robinson achieved great success in the
field of physical sciences, receiving his B.S. from Virginia Union
in 1939 and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Robinson began his tenure at UCLA in 1960, becoming a full
professor in 1962, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

During his time at UCLA, Robinson contributed a great deal of
research to the physics department. He was also a contributor to
the American Physical Society, where he provided articles and
papers about the physical sciences.

He retired as professor emeritus in June 1990.

Before coming to UCLA, Robinson was a professor at the Howard
University Department of Physics, the University of Chicago’s
Institute for Nuclear Studies and Brooklyn College.

He was also a visiting professor to a German university in
Aachen, Germany.

In 1959, he worked for Space Technology Laboratories, Inc., in
Los Angeles. According to the American Physical Society’s
online archive, he was also a contributor to the Journal of Applied
Physics, collaborating with several other professionals in his
field of study.

In addition to his academic achievements, Robinson was made a
fellow at the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 1967,
according to its Web site.

This organization provides grants for advanced professionals who
have “demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive
scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts” in
all fields, excluding the performing arts.

Dr. Robinson was a native of Tappahannock, Va. He is survived by
his wife, Laura Robinson, and three children, Lyn Robinson,
Gwendolyn Robinson and Lawrence Robinson Jr.

Services were held on March 30 at the First Baptist Church in
Tappahannock, Va.