Richard Thurmond | A Story of Discovery - Ep. 100
On Life and Meaning
Richard Thurmond is a community and economic development executive for a place-making organization. In this episode we explore basketball, editing and publishing a city magazine, staying and leaving, and the values of curiosity and humility.
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Claude Alexander, Jr.| The Park Church - Ep. 99
On Life and Meaning
Claude Alexander, Jr. is bishop and senior pastor of a Baptist church. In this episode we explore the mission of the church, racism, misogyny and homophobia, segregation on Sunday mornings, the death of a brother, a crisis of faith, living with mystery, and the love of God.
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Jess George | Hope and Optimism - Ep. 98
On Life and Meaning
Jess George is a government and community affairs manager for a fiber optic company. In this episode we explore the digital divide, confronting bullies, being an ally to immigrants, and dropping keys to beautiful rowdy prisoners.
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Sonya Pfeiffer | A Life in Full - Ep. 97
On Life and Meaning
Sonya Pfeiffer is an art gallery owner and criminal defense attorney. In this episode we explore story-telling, standing up to the power of the state, unconventional paths, the Owl theory, the practice of Ahimsa, and the one chance we have in this life.
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Beatriz Friedmann | Conscious Evolution - Ep. 96
On Life and Meaning
Beatriz Friedmann is a school counselor and information technology consultant. In this episode we explore emigrating from Brazil to North America, a corporate career, a summer of loss and pain, finding new purpose, and becoming present one step at a time.
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Ken Lambla | Interdisciplinary Design - Ep. 95
On Life and Meaning
Ken Lambla is founding dean of a college of arts + architecture. In this episode we explore returning from Patagonia, merging fields of study, interdisciplinary design, stewardship, community, and how arts inform a life
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Clarence Armbrister | A Nurturing Place - Ep. 94
On Life and Meaning
Clarence ‘Clay’ Armbrister is president of a historically black college and university. In this episode we explore strategic goals, the benefits and challenges of HBCUs, a family story of defiance, the power of education, public service, and the value of relationships.
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Liz Clasen-Kelly | The Sacredness of Human Life - Ep. 93
On Life and Meaning
Liz Clasen-Kelly leads an agency serving men experiencing homelessness. In this episode we explore helping people needing shelter, working to end homelessness, abundant love, and encountering Christ in the in-between.
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Natalie Frazier Allen | Art Empowered - Ep. 92
On Life and Meaning
Natalie Frazier Allen leads an organization that connects youth to the arts. In this episode we explore adverse childhood experiences, the power of the arts to heal trauma, telling the truth, Spelman College, and reflections on career, family and faith.
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Tom Warshauer | Neighborhood Development - Ep. 91
On Life and Meaning
Tom Warshauer leads a municipal community engagement team. In this episode we explore neighborhood development, Wilmington and New Orleans, home restoration, planting ideas, and enjoying diverse and authentic lives.
info_outlineSally Robinson is a civic leader and community volunteer whose contributions have shaped education, arts and culture in Charlotte and Durham. She has served on many boards, including the Charlotte Symphony, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, the McColl Center for Visual Arts, the Foundation For The Carolinas and Duke University. Sally was the visionary force behind the launch of the Levine Museum of the New South. She has received many awards for her service, including the Duke University Distinguished Alumni Award, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Distinguished Service Award, the John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities, the Charlotte Woman of the Year Award, and the Arts & Sciences Council Lifetime Commitment Award. Sally graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in history from Duke University.
This episode is perfect for anyone interested in family history, community service, connecting to ideas and possibility, and a lifelong friendship and love.
IN THIS EPISODE
- Sally describes her first home in Charlotte and growing up in the 1930s and 1940s.
- She tells a story about German POWs and chewing gum just after World War II.
- She remembers her father and the work he did in textile machinery.
- She talks about roaming the streets of downtown Charlotte in the 1940s.
- Sally shares her mother’s community service during the war and the example of civic leadership she established.
- She recalls her brothers’ heroic service during the war and the family routine of listening to the news and tracking the war effort.
- She discusses going to boarding school at Mary’s School in Raleigh and the influence of a particular teacher.
- She shares her first date with Russell Robinson and how it led to marriage.
- Sally talks about studying history and being a student at Duke University.
- She answers whether she ever felt limited as a homemaker during the 1950s.
- She describes how development patterns in Charlotte changed in the 1950s and 1960s.
- She reflects on segregation, the civil rights movement, and how her perceptions about race relations have evolved.
- Sally explains how her passion for civic life developed in the 1980s and 1990s and launching the Levine Museum of the New South came about.
- She answers whether there is a cause or issue that she might have been more involved in.
- She remembers the naming of the Robinson Center for Civic Leadership at the Foundation For The Carolinas in the 2000s.
- She shares what is on her mind today for Charlotte in the 2020s.
- She discusses connecting to community and her connection to Duke University.
- Sally answers why her marriage works so well and what’s next.
plus Mark's Personal Word Essay: Only Connect
To learn more, visit On Life and Meaning