Obituary of David Atherton Robinson

David Atherton Robinson was born on January 22, 1940, in Minneapolis, and died on November 20, 2023, in St. Paul.

He received his PhD in physics, specializing in solid-state optics, from Iowa State University of Science and Technology in 1967. A professor of physics at St. Olaf College from 1967-1973, he then began work in alternative energy and conservation while serving as a lecturer in physics at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, from 1973-1975. During this time he taught solar energy-related courses and served on the Alternative Fuel Technical Committee for the Government of Fiji. From 1975-1977, for the Sheldahl Company, he managed an optical measurement laboratory and designed tools for evaluating solar reflector materials and assemblies. At that same time, he also designed and built an energy-efficient, superinsulated, solar-heated house which received national attention, and was a model for a possible future. He lived in that house, in Northfield, Minnesota, with his first wife Frances Long, and his stepchildren Lucinda Wells, Jane Champagne, Ernst Karel, and Carol Franklin.

He joined the DOE Regional Mid-American Solar Energy Center (MASEC) as a senior scientist in 1977 where he was involved with the development of passive solar program plans for a 12-state region. His particular interest at MASEC was in the development of building practices leading to substantial reductions in residential energy use, and techniques for the least-cost optimization of residential structures, with particular emphasis on superinsulation. He was instrumental in the application of these results to many retrofits and to the construction of many new houses. 

In 1981 he joined the staff of the Honeywell Technology Strategy Center where he developed comfort and ventilation control strategies for superinsulated, low infiltration, energy-efficient houses. He left Honeywell in 1983 to start his own consulting business, Robinson Technical Services, in St. Paul.

He sailed; he loved music, and in particular, supported the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He was married to his second wife, Jan Ekern, for twenty-eight years. They were both active in Prospect Park United Methodist Church, a progressive, reconciling congregation in Minneapolis where they did important work to increase inclusivity. In addition, he also contributed his expertise in building and construction matters over the years.

His intellectual life’s work, combining spirituality with practical experience, is represented in his 2011 book, A Poised Century: On Living Today as if Tomorrow Mattered. The book describes a world poised on the brink of a new era and is about choosing a future we can all live with, a future that will require conscious living and work from each of us — a new way of life grounded in discernment, a new community consciousness. It invites us all to participate in the work of constructing a mindful world where sustainability is possible.

Memorial to be held in the spring at Lakewood Cemetery. Details will be available through Prospect Park UMC.