William H. Robinson

In Memoriam

William H. Robinson (Bill) was a physicist, entrepreneur, avid hunter and outdoorsman. He loved nature, classical music and opera. He founded and led Crysteco, Inc., from 1972 to 2001.    Crysteco, located in Wilmington, Ohio, became the largest producer of arsenic-doped silicon wafers in the world, with over 300 employees. Bill Robinson was a respected business and community leader, active in the local Chamber of Commerce and Southern State Community College.  Other notable honors included being part of the Ohio trade delegation to China when diplomatic and business relations were first opened between the US and China in late 1970's.  He also worked extensively with the Ohio Governors Workforce Board to foster collaborations between educational institutions and industry employers to help develop a highly skilled local workforce.  Bill was also a long-standing member of the Grand Hotel Hunt Club in Colorado, a source of friendships and much camaraderie during his annual hunting trips.

Bill was born in Borger, Texas in 1928, as the first of three children of Arthur and Pearl Robinson. He came from humble beginnings, spending most of his youth in Kansas and working his way through college on farms and oil fields.  He received his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma Baptist University, where he met his late first wife, Laura Kathryn Gregory of Chickasaw, Oklahoma. He received his master's in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his doctorate in physics from Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh. Subsequently, Bill taught and conducted research at Carnegie Tech.  He was awarded Guggenheim and Fulbright fellowships in 1965 that enabled him to teach and study at the Max Planck Institute at the University of Goettingen, Germany for 2 years.  Bill and family moved to Wilmington OH in 1968 to work with his Uncle Bill at Buckeye Molding Co., in New Vienna, before starting his company, Crysteco, in 1972.

In 1986 Bill married Marion Bell Robinson and they celebrated the past 29 years of marriage together.  After retiring and leaving Wilmington in 2001, they moved to West Chester OH, becoming a member of the community and enjoying retired life.

Bill is survived by his wife Marion, his sister Junia Faye Bettes (husband Edd), his three children by his first marriage, Denise Robinson Gravatt (husband Scott), Linda Robinson Zetterstrom (husband Scott) and Greg Robinson (wife Robin), Marion's daughters Sandra Bell Donnelly (husband Gerard) and Amanda Bell Firestone (deceased), and grandchildren Jacob and Jill Robinson (Greg's children), and Justin and Ryan Donnelly (Sandra's children).  Bill was preceded in death by his younger brother, James S. Robinson.

Bill Robinson passed away on April 16, 2016 at home after suffering a stroke. Memorial services will be held at 2:00 pm on April 30th at St. Anne's Episcopal Church (6461 Tylersville Road, West Chester OH) followed by a reception at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations to Matthew 25: Ministries or Hospice of Southwest Ohio are welcomed.