Edwin Claiborne Robins Sr. (1910–1995) was an American chief executive of A.H. Robins pharmaceutical company and a philanthropist.

A.H. Robins

Robins' grandfather, Albert Hartley Robins, started a drug store in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, in 1866. After attending the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...

as an undergraduate and earning a pharmacy degree at the

Medical College of Virginia The VCU Medical Center is Virginia Commonwealth University's medical campus located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, in the Court End neighborhood. VCU Medical Center used to be known as the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), which merged with the ...

in 1933, Robins built the company up to a Richmond-based multinational giant that manufactured, among other products,

Robitussin Cold medicines are a group of medications taken individually or in combination as a treatment for the symptoms of the common cold and similar conditions of the upper respiratory tract. The term encompasses a broad array of drugs, including a ...

cough syrup and ChapStick lip balm.

Philanthropy

Robins served as trustee at the

starting in 1951. By 1969, the university was a small, liberal arts school strongly affiliated with the

Southern Baptist church The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...

and was poised at bankruptcy. Robins offered what was the largest gift to any university, $50 million in A.H. Robins common stock and $10 million in cash contingent on matching gifts. The university's executives, headed by then-president

E. Bruce Heilman Earl Bruce Heilman (July 16, 1926 – October 19, 2019) was an American educator who served as president of the University of Richmond and Meredith College. He last held the positions of chancellor at the University of Richmond and National Spok ...

and Vice President

H. Gerald Quigg Harry Gerald Quigg (born February 5, 1937) is an American specialist in non-profit philanthropy and fund-raising who spent most of his career as Vice President of Development at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. Early life and edu ...

, directed the successful effort, ultimately leading to a $60 million addition to the university's endowment. The gift, along with later gifts, were acknowledged in the naming of the

Robins Center The Robins Center is a 7,201-seat multi-purpose arena in Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map ...

arena and the E. Claiborne Robins School of Business. He also gave extensively to local nonprofits including the

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, or VMFA, is an art museum in Richmond, Virginia, United States, which opened in 1936. The museum is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Private donations, endowments, and funds are used for the su ...

, the Richmond Public Library (United States), the

, and

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Richm ...

.New York Times, July 7, 1995

References

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