Harvey Abraham Robbins

Harvey was born in the Bronx, New York on November 4th, 1948 to the late Arnold and Anne (Hass) Robbins. He passed away peacefully on January 15th, 2025 at the age of 76. Harvey was a kind, eccentric, generous and engaging man who is greatly missed.

Harvey told tales of playing stick ball in the streets of the Bronx. To get him away from a gang, he was taken under the wing of some local police officers who taught him how to shoot. A passion was born and he became a decorated sharp-shooter.

He started college at Brooklyn Polytechnic, but he and Physics were not a match. Through testing and counseling, he found his way to Psychology. This help in finding his way influenced him greatly to be that person for others later in life. He went to Texas A&M where he was placed in the foreign student dorm because he was from New York. He stayed all the way through completing his PhD. in clinical psychology.

After a brief stint in private practice, he found his true calling in applying psychology to organizations. He worked for the US Civil Service Commission, Burlington Northern Railroad and Honeywell in Personnel Selection and Organizational Development before establishing his own consulting practice. He consulted with numerous corporations and federal agencies including the CIA, FBI and Secret Service. He trained and presented nationally and internationally on leadership, team effectiveness, change management and interpersonal influence.

He wrote nine books. His best selling was “How to Speak and Listen Effectively.” His most recognized work was “Why Teams Don’t Work: What Went Wrong and How to Make it Right” which won a Global Business Book Award. His final book was “Tack: The Young Adult’s Guide to Getting In, Succeeding and Influencing Others in the Work Place.”

Harvey was a man with far reaching knowledge and interests and a plethora of hobbies. In addition to shooting, he was a fifth-degree black belt, avid tennis player and golfer, a Boy Scout Leader, a little league coach, a fabulous photographer who applied those talents to swim team photos. He had an artistic side dabbling in stained glass, acrylic painting, woodworking and metal sculpture. He was an enthusiastic traveler visiting all seven continents and 58 countries with his wife. He was an entertainer for presentations and training, at parties and gatherings, in individual conversations and especially with his grandchildren delighting them with magic, juggling and stories.

Harvey is survived by: his wife Nancy (Goebel) Robbins; his son Maxwell (Maria) Robbins; grandchildren Killian (9), Magdalena (7), Eilis (5) and Kolbe (2); his sister Arlene (Lynn) Robbins.

Family and friends are invited to attend a service at Kapala-Glodek-Malone Funeral Home at 7800 Bass Lake Road in New Hope on February 5th. Visitation with the family will begin at 10:00am with a service at 11:00am. A luncheon will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Harvey’s honor to the charity closest to your heart.