Richard Robinson

Richard Robinson, who as the longtime head of Scholastic Inc. presided over such bestsellers as J.K. Rowling's “Harry Potter” novels and Suzanne Collins' “The Hunger Games” series along with a wide range of educational materials, reading clubs and book fairs, has died. He was 84. Robinson was named president of Scholastic in 1974, CEO in 1975 and board chair in 1982. He was the son of Maurice R. Robinson, who founded Scholastic in 1920. Scholastic has had only two Chairmen in its 86-year history: M.R. Robinson and Richard Robinson. Under Mr. Robinson’s leadership, Scholastic has become the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books in the world, with such renowned brands as Harry Potter™, Clifford the Big Red Dog™, Goosebumps™, and I SPY™ among many others. The company has grown significantly in annual revenues to over $2 billion, and has developed in-school distribution systems unmatched in the country. Today the company has over 9,000 employees with operations in 16 countries around the globe. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Robinson is a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard College. He also studied at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge University in England, and at Teachers College, Columbia University.