I recently stumbled across Dr. Robinson’s lectures from the Great Courses. He was such an inspiring lecturer that I’m now doing further research into several of the primary thinkers covered. I had hoped to write a thank you letter to Dr. Robinson for his contributions to his field, and I was sad to learn of his passing. I was glad to locate this condolence wall, and I wanted to leave a quick note here regarding what an impact he had on me personally. I am very thankful that modern technology has allowed the preservation of his works and lectures.

Although we are 6 years late, I do want Prof. Robinsons family to know how we have cherished his teaching company lectures on philosophy. We’ve watched and listened so often he feels like a member of our close family. You must hear this often: how we treasure his wisdom and ability to express like no other we have encountered. May the Good Lord bless his family and keep his soul in His Beautiful light. May The Professor feel the warmth of illumination he has given us.
With immense gratitude, John and Jill
Pastrone of Edgewater MD.

Professor Daniel Robinson had a generous spirit matched only by his good humor and sharp mind.

Like many when I first saw his lectures for the Teaching Company, they made me interested in intellectual life.  When he answered in detail the many questions of this high school student emailing him out of the blue, I did not realize at the time how much this was a frequent occurrence.

Later when I studied in England, he invited me to attend his philosophy lectures on Thomas Reid and Immanuel Kant, and they remain the greatest memories of my education. Robinson had the rare skill to ingratiate his listener into big ideas, making it seem as if all knowledge had been laden there just for you.

His favorite essay was Matthew Arnold's Culture and Anarchy, which describes the "pursuit of our total perfection by means of getting to know...the best which has been thought and said in the world, and, through this knowledge, turning a stream of fresh and free thought upon our stock notions and habits."

That was what he did in a nutshell. By virtue of his books, essays, lectures, but most especially by the sincere manner he imparted to all who knew him, his legacy shall continue to reap a bountiful harvest.

May his memory bless the living, and may his soul rest in peace, through the mercy of Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Five years later and miss you very much Dad. I like to imagine you’re in deep conversations with Socrates, Aristotle, Kant and the rest. 
And giving big hugs to your grandma 
Mary and mother Margaret 💛🙏❤️
Love,
Your daughter, Tracey

Great Giant of Intellect of our time. 

I am saddened by recently learning the passing of Professor Daniel Nicolas  Robinson. I have never met him but I feel his presence every time I listen to his angelic presentations.

I learnt a lot from him about life in general and the problem of knowledge, the problem of conduct and the problem of governance through his lectures than I have had in my life. 

These problems have burdened humanity for immemorial time and still haven’t got a hang of them. 

His presence will be sorely missed  by all whom he had touched directly or indirectly.

Rest in peace giant.

 I am glad you have joined the likes of Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, etc.. .and I can only imagine having a good conversation with them if the dead could meet and talk. 

I ordered the lecture series “American Ideals: Founding a republic of virtue”. Ive watched each lecture 3-4 times. I cannot express how much I enjoy listening to Professor Robinson speak. Never having been much for history, I ordered this course after asking myself “How would one start a country?” Professor Robinson provides a coherent timeline of events, but that’s not what makes his lectures great. He takes me inside the minds of the people - Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, Paine, Burke, and so many others. He speaks about “letters from a farmer” and other small contributions of people at the time. Of course he speaks to the “biggies” such as The Constitution, the Federalist Papers, The Articles of Confederation and The Bill of Rights. Whatever material he presents, he gets to the “spirit” of what made the people, the process and the product great. He touches upon the deeper moral thread that passes through these documents and how much of this was “in the mind” of people prior to any of this actually happening. His lectures are simple, yet captivating. He is a scholar and he presents his knowledge as such, but he seems more like a relative or a friend who simply wants to sit on the back porch and share his knowledge with others. He knows the importance of knowing what he knows, but he doesn’t force anything upon the listener. Rather he creates a canvas one or two soft strokes at a time until an elegant and coherent picture comes into view. Then after listening to a lecture for a second or third time, the picture becomes even clearer or you see the painting from a slightly different angle. In closing, please know that Dr. Robinson, your father, made a tremendous difference on my life despite never having met him in person. May he rest in the eternal peace of our Heavenly Father and may God bless your family.  Thank you. 

He burst into my life weeks ago when we got a Great courses Philosophy download from Audible. We are 6-7 lectures in and captured. He is so humane, so funny and above all, so clear and knowledgeable. He loves his subject!  I wanted to ask him a question and felt such a pang of disappointment when I found out about his death.  
  It must be sad for all of you who loved him but in no way is he gone from this earth. 


I never had the pleasure of meeting Professor Robinson in person, what an honor that would have been

I know of him through a company called, The Teaching Company where I watched a number of series of his that he produced for them

The fluency of his lectures and the passion of someone who believed what they spoke of and truly wanted to change the lives of those whom his words reached out to, certainly changed me

I'm stunned, saddened, even taken back when I found out that Professor Robinson is no longer with us. The thought of the world without this man breathing his life giving insight to others has left me silenced

Then I lifted my head and smiled. What I learnt from this wonderful man was that life goes on. Death is a part of life, it's baked into our existence. To ignore this would be to have learnt nothing from his lectures!

Thank you Professor Robinson. You've made this man's life better and indirectly my whole families life better because I have taken many of the things you taught in your lectures to heart and used them to improve my life

While I am still sad when I think about you not being here any longer, I can also smile, face life forwardly, salute and say Thank You Professor Robinson!!!

The Teacher's Teacher

Daniel N Robinson was a towering intellect with exceptional warmth in his endeavours. Like many comments on here, I never met him (though I all too briefly exchange a few emails with him), but I feel I knew him from his wonderful lectures.  He set himself very high standards for others to follow. His thought provoking style, compelling delivery and range of content were, of course, superb. He leaves behind a wonderful series of resources for future generations to discover. He led by example and what an example it was!

I never met Mr. Robinson; never saw him face to face, yet he was still a guiding influence on my life through his series of lectures on philosophy. His deep respect for the many ways humanity has sought to answer the most fundamental questions of life taught me to seek and respect them as well. I reached out to him with some questions via email and he graciously responded and gave me some valuable insights. 
The world has lost a great man. 
My deepest sympathies and condolences to the family.

I apologize for so presumptuously including my memory of you along with those of your most beloved family, but I would be remiss not to take this opportunity to say my final thank you. I met you as a young graduate student at The Institute for the Psychological Sciences, now part of Divine Mercy University.   You were my instructor for three courses there. It was as a direct result of your instruction, candid conversation, and modeling behavior, that I developed a love for words, ideas and logic. Because of your high expectations for your students, I was later able to gain entry to and to complete my education and training at Johns Hopkins.  It is not hyperbole to say that your influence has and will have an impact for generations upon my family.  Eternal rest grant unto him oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him.  May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 

Enternally Thankful, 

Scott Carter, MS, LPC

“Be bold, but not rash,” was one of the last and most lasting pieces of advice I received from one of my closest mentors while at BYU, Professor Robinson. 

We first "met" when I answered the phone at the Wheatley Institution. After my relatively quick greeting, Professor Robinson requested that I be his direct contact at Wheatley. I loved working for him, and we stayed in-touch via the occasional email after I graduated from BYU and left Utah.

I was just about to email Professor Robinson on September 19, when I learned of his passing. Thoughts of him had crossed my mind that whole week, and I couldn't figure out why until I heard the sad news of his passing.

Professor Robinson was the one of the first people to whom I confessed my desire to part with the LDS Church. He was warm, comforting, and consoling. Professor Robinson counseled me to “go eat some chocolate...” He also recognized that I may have outgrown religion altogether, a sentiment with which he appeared to empathize--I think he was right, as he was right about so many things.

Professor Robinson also encouraged me to pursue a career in law, telling me I’d make a “damn good lawyer.” That was a high compliment from a guy like him. Now that I am halfway through law school, I sure hope he was right, and if he was, it’s due in great part to his influence.

I’m crushed at this loss, but Professor Robinson’s contributions to this world have been such an inspiration to me and so many others. I hope to be able to carry on even a small portion of his legacy.

Rest In Peace, Professor Robinson. You will always hold a dear place in my heart.

Sincerely,
Holli (Holliann Morro)

Dear, dear dad,

Your voice will always be in my head, and I will never forget the twinkle in your eyes. You have shaped so much of my thinking as an adult, and the precious lessons learned, and lively talks will be with me always. I cherish the gifts you have endowed to me as well as to your granddaughters, Carsen and Shelby. Our long discussions on what is most important in life: truth, education, and humility. They are who they are today in large part to the influence you have had on our lives. Carsen as a Ph.D. neuroscientist and Shelby as an English teacher. 

You will always be in my heart.

Much love,

Kimmy
xoxo
Αιωνία η μνήμη
Memory eternal

Dearest Dad,
Words nearly escape me at this hour. You are my hero. I will never forget our adventures through Oxford, the Cosmos Club, museums, Coco Opera, Tea at the Plaza (those were events). And then the small moments. Sitting in the parlor in the evening,  mesmerized listening to your thoughts on so many ideas: from the Greeks to the Atom Smashers (yes, I remember our tour of the Smithsonian).  And then there was the World Series at Yankee Stadium and the “secret” stadium hot dogs. Sorry, but I don’t feel a need to keep the secret any longer. 
Mostly, I remember my hero as down right the wittiest, most loving, brilliant, father in the world.

I will love you forever my dear father.
Until the day we meet again.

Your loving daughter,

Tracey


        We were married at the City Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark on September l8. 1967.  The life that followed was filled with many students, good friends, and many, many happy memories.  Dan died just hours before the l8th of September at about 5:15 P.M. at the Frederick Memorial Hospital.  I was with him when he died, and he had a look of great peace about him--which I shall never forget.

         God has given Dan great gifts, which he never for a moment took for granted.  His wonderful wit and charm, and his erudition never ceased to amaze.  Life with him was filled with much laughter ; and  there was hardly a day that went by when he was not writing.  The last twenty-five years flew by at Oxford, and we shall treasure the friends we made there.  

           I shall miss him, truly miss him,  and will love him forever.

          Ciny

                       
           


OBITUARY

Daniel Nicholas Robinson

March 9, 1937 – September 17, 2018

Joseph Gawler’s Sons, LLC

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