Robin K. Little ’50

Robin died June 22, 2020, in Normandy Park, Wash., in his home of 65 years — a home that he and wife Carol built “with their own hands.”  

Coming from Summit (N.J.) High School, he belonged to Terrace and majored in aeronautical engineering. His father was a member of the Class of 1925. 

Robin married Carol Michon just after graduation, and on their honeymoon they drove to Seattle, where he had accepted an engineering job with Boeing. During the next 35 years with the company, Robin played a significant role in the design, development, and business decisions associated with the 707, 727, 737, and 747 airplanes. (His senior project design for a jet transport had startling similarities to the future 737.) 

After retiring he farmed wheat, cattle, and hay on the Lazy Bar L, a 300-acre ranch in Eastern Washington that he bought in 1970. Robin was an ardent hunter and fisherman. He and Carol enjoyed skiing, hiking, and boating, as well as traveling around the United States and Europe. 

He hosted our 12th mini-reunion in Seattle in 1996. In retirement, he wrote The Second of July, a history of his family that included an ancestor’s experience at Gettysburg from which the title comes. 

Robin is survived by Carol; four children; 10 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.