Grandparent Profile: Mary Robinson

These are the magical years of a young girl and to be able to participate, even in a very small way, is simply a great gift. This is why we formed the Grandparents Council last year so that we would be afforded the means to engage in their activities, as a volunteer, observer, or occasional participant.

Education has always been very important to me. Growing up in Philadelphia, I attended a girls' school much like Burke’s. Baldwin had the same mission with the goal to teach us to be independent, hardworking, active young women with the belief that we could accomplish anything we set our minds to, as long as we worked hard.

College was also an all-girls environment; first, Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y., and then Rosemont College outside of Philadelphia. Both nourished my love of education and being educated, of having new worlds and opportunities opened to me.

After graduation, I worked at the Curtis Publishing company helping readers do research for projects based on articles we had published in our various magazines. There was no Google in those days, just “tear sheets” to send to those who needed material.

Soon I was off to New York where my first job was writing synopses of science and engineering textbooks, learning as I taught our salesmen. Then off to the Ladies' Home Journal to help write a column on fashion, learning about the city as well as how to give advice in a limited number of words — not an easy task! Then finally I became a copywriter at O.E. McIntyre before meeting and marrying the love of my life.

David and I moved to San Francisco immediately after he finished architecture school at the University of Pennsylvania. It was quite an adventure, moving across the country to a city where we had virtually no family and few friends.

As our children grew so did my involvement with their schools and non-profit organizations in the Bay Area, from the boards of Marin Country Day School and the Exploratorium to the San Francisco Art Institute and the Headlands Center for the Arts. All of these were engaging me in opportunities to be involved with education and now art as well. Both of these fields became dear to my heart. The more time I spent with students, the more I enjoyed life — be they graduate art students or youngsters on the playground.

Lately, my focus has been even more involvement with art education (the SFMOMA Education committee) and public schools (serving on the board of KIPP Bay Area Schools.) I have been incredibly fortunate over the years to have opportunities to be engaged in the fields that I love. There is no doubt in my mind that giving everyone access to a great education, as our granddaughters are experiencing, is the way to raise the bar in our country. Be it as a teacher, student, or volunteer, we all can do our part and be richer for the experience.

Selfishly, those of us who began the Grandparents' Council last year did so with one main objective: to have more time with our granddaughters, either by volunteering or simply attending more performances and school events. It has been an enriching and rewarding time, and I urge every grandparent to join us. No matter if you live near or far, there are many ways to be engaged — so join us!

Signed, Mary Robinson, proud grandmother of Ella W. '19