John C. Robinson ’53

Jack died in Milton, Mass., April 20, 2024.

He was born Aug. 5, 1931, in New York City and grew up in Greenwich, Conn. In eighth grade he entered Milton Academy, where at the age of 14 he met his future wife, June Nordblom. He went from Milton to Princeton, where he joined Cottage Club and majored in English literature, writing his thesis on Robert Frost. After graduating, Jack spent four years in the Navy, based in San Diego. He served on active duty aboard the destroyer USS Stembel and became the ship’s navigator and an expert on celestial navigation in the Pacific.

After the Navy, Jack and June returned to Milton, which became their home base for the rest of their lives together. After attending Tufts Medical School, Jack completed his pediatric residency and fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he served as pediatric chief resident and mentored countless pediatricians. He was a teaching fellow and assistant clinical professor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School for almost 20 years. Jack also started a private pediatric practice that grew into Milton Pediatrics, with numerous pediatricians caring for thousands of children and families, spanning multiple generations.

Upon his retirement at age 79, his extended family and grateful patients established the John C. Robinson Chair in Pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Predeceased by his wife, Jack is survived by his brother, four children, 10 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.