Harold H. Robinson Jr., MD

During his early years of practice, he traded call with me and Virgil R. Airola, MD. He was always very dependable and could be relied upon to take excellent care of patients. Along with other orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Robinson covered all the emergency cases at the Sacramento County Hospital until 1960. He also provided orthopedic services at the UC Davis Student Health Center, and was one of the founders in the early 1960s of the free scoliosis clinic at Sutter Memorial Hospital. In 1962, he moved to a small medical building at 4101 J Street to accommodate partners Harold Strauch, MD and Paul Lagomarsino, MD. Twenty-four years later he and Dr. Strauch moved to the Fort Sutter Medical Building at 2801 K Street.

Dr. Robinson was a member of organized medicine throughout his medical career, including residency training. He volunteered on numerous Society and hospital committees and provided good financial support to building improvements to the Medical Society as well as Sutter and Mercy Hospitals. In 1969, he was one of the orthopedic surgeons who volunteered to be on the clinical staff for the new UC Davis School of Medicine.

During the era in which Dr. Robinson practiced, few people had private health insurance. Like other physicians, he did not charge nurses, hospital employees, religious leaders or poor patients. Physicians felt honored if other doctors selected them to care for their families.

He was a long-time member of the Rotary Club, where his chief interests were helping the orthopedically handicapped and medically compromised people locally and abroad — and, of course, working on financial issues.

He was active in banking, investments and construction. He loved to build, maintain and repair things, and when not practicing medicine was a carpenter, plumber, electrician for his own home, office and rental properties. He also built various arm, leg and spine braces for needy children.

Dr. Robinson retired in 1991. His first wife, Agnes, had died in 1981. He is survived by his second wife, Carole; sons Ross Robinson, Harold H. Robinson, III and Forrest Robinson; stepchildren James Tonkin, Susan Tonkin Riegel, Anna Tonkin and Robert Tonkin; sister Roberta Bolton; and 12 grandchildren.

— Frank J. Boutin, Sr., MD