Michael N. Robinson

A native Atlantan, Michael N. Robinson, 78, of Peachtree Corners, passed away on December 20th. And, though Mike was born, was raised in, and lived and died in Atlanta, he was anything but a homebody.

After growing up in Sylvan Hills and graduating from Sylvan Hills High School, Mike attended Furman University where he attained his BA in Business in 1971.

Mike had been treated in his youth for asthma and glomerulonephritis, a chronic inflammation of the kidneys, both conditions having compromised a promising teen athletic career where his nimble quickness and left-handedness teased of future athletic accomplishments which were naturally sacrificed to his poor health.

The Draft Board came calling after his graduation from Furman, and, consistent with the sardonic nature that had become part of Mike's charm (and challenge outside his circle of friends) at Furman, he derived great pleasure from his personal response to the Draft Board. He had been rejected for health reasons when he applied for entry into Advanced Army ROTC at Furman, and on advice from his brother, Don, then on active duty in the Army, Mike requested a waiver to enroll in Advanced ROTC and went through testing again. Naturally, he was turned down a second time, and it was his phone book-sized medical folder which he hand-carried to the Draft Board when he reported to them. Without the oversized medical review folder denying him admission for officer training, he would've been drafted and declared as "fully fit" to go to Vietnam as enlisted cannon fodder.

Everyone who knew and loved Mike knew how smart he was. He was accused of memorizing the World Book Encyclopedias he grew up reading. He "won" every one of the Jeopardy episodes he watched with the family and even outscored the TV opponents--unless "Showtunes" was a category. People often called Mike to resolve factual disputes. His word was considered final. He simply knew everything.

A legendary story from his Furman days involved Mike taking a Logic course as a Pass/Fail elective. Nearing course completion, Mike had the highest test average in the class, and, as the professor was handing out the latest test scores, he paused at Mike's desk and said, "Mr. Robinson, I've always been curious why you didn't take this course for a grade." Mike's immediate answer, "Couldn't see the logic in it," so disrupted the class in laughter that the professor had to dismiss the class for the remainder of the session.

Answering a lifelong passion for aviation, Mike spent his entire working career with the airlines. After graduating from Furman, he started at Southern Airways where one of his aunts was the second employee hired by Southern in 1944, just after the they hired the first pilot, when the carrier began services. After working through decades of mergers and acquisitions, for North Central Airlines, Republic, Northwest, and ASA, eventually he "landed" at Delta where he retired and where his family has enjoyed a continuous history of employment since WWII. His "Dream Job" allowed him extensive cockpit privileges where, on a couple of occasions, he flew "up front" with the pilots who took delivery of some of Delta's Airbuses from their manufacturing sites in Europe.

At times, it seemed that Mike had flown to every place on earth that had an airstrip. His sense of adventure and boldness allowed him to pack a bag with Levi's Jeans on a trip to the old Soviet Union after hearing that Levis were highly regarded trade goods there and where, in Moscow, in the middle of the night, in the middle of Red Square, he traded Levi's with the local comrades for all his "Soviet" memorabilia. Prized amidst his loot are two Soviet Army officers' belts with Hammers and Sickles on the Soviet Star on the belt buckles. He may have had to trade his way out of a stay at Lubyanka for his illicit commerce that night, but we'll never know because he didn't talk much about the details.

Other trips that Mike took are too numerous to mention, but he's been to every continent except the poles (allowing for discussion of the poles as land masses or not), and has visited most countries on each continent. He mysteriously knew the capitals and chief exports of every country on earth as well as the three-letter identifier for every airfield on the planet.

His first and lifelong love was his family, at first limited to his two nephews, Keith and Matt, but later to include their children to whom Mike retained his title of "Uncle Mike." He attended their athletic events, birthdays, holidays, and even some vacations. He got all of them time in the Delta flight simulators which he called "The Ultimate Video Games." He brought savant-quality performance to his work, and his knowledge of the inner subtleties of union contracts, to the great embarrassment of any who challenged his interpretations, allowed him to be a flawless resource whenever disputes arose.

Mike's other family were his coworkers at Delta whom he loved until his declining health forced his retirement in late 2023. Until then, however, he relished an almost "Animal House" rivalry with colleagues who bore allegiances to the "wrong" football teams. Stories abound of the things he (and some of his co-conspirators) did to others' cubicles when they were at lunch and read like a glossary of immediately dismissible offenses from any Human Resources Handbook in corporate America. Mike enjoyed a fertile mind for creative mischief.

Mike's sudden departure has left a huge hole in the hearts of all who earned entry to his exclusive, tight circle of friends and, of course, his family. We all miss him terribly. He was predeceased by his Dad, Jack J. Robinson in 1961, his Mom, Mary Buchanan Robinson in 1998, his Sister-in-law Patty in 2025 and is survived by his brother Don, 80, of Peachtree Corners.

Online condolences may be expressed at Online condolences may be expressed at www.crowellbrothers.com. Arrangements by Crowell Brothers Peachtree Chapel Funeral Home, 5051 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Norcross/Peachtree Corners, GA 30092. (770)448-5757.