Former Fort Wayne Community Schools Superintendent Wendy Robinson died Friday. The long-time face of the district, Robinson left behind a legacy when she retired in 2020.
Wendy Robinson, 72, spent 47 years as an educator for Fort Wayne Community Schools, with 17 of that as superintendent of the district, before her retirement in 2020.
Off the bat, when Robinson became superintendent in 2003 she became the district’s first female superintendent, first Black superintendent and first superintendent to have graduated from the district.
She attended FWCS from kindergarten through 12th grade, before studying education at DePauw University. She returned to Fort Wayne as a third-grade teacher at Ward Elementary. During her years with FWCS, she also served as principal and central office administrator.
In a statement following her passing, a spokesperson for Fort Wayne Community Schools called Robinson “a lifelong advocate for children” with a passion for supporting education. They said she had high expectations for employees of FWCS and believed every staff member had a role to play in students’ lives.
“What is more important to me than anything else is that the kids I taught and the people I worked with respected my name," Robinson said.
Before her retirement, Robinson managed the district through the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview with WBOI ahead of her retirement, Robinson considered her time with the district and what the future held for her.
“I alternate between crying and laughing, but the tears are because- and people ask me what I’ll miss," she said. "What I’ll miss is being around people who stimulate my thinking every single day.”
Upon her retirement, Robinson was awarded the Circle of Corydon Award, a statewide honor given to those whose remarkable contributions have improved the state. She was also a finalist for national superintendent of the year from AASA, The School Superintendents Association, in 2018.
Last year, FWCS honored Robinson’s legacy and renamed the Family and Community Engagement Center as the Wendy Y. Robinson Family and Community Engagement Center.
At the celebration, Robinson thanked former teachers and coworkers for their support and work during her life.
“No one does anything alone," Robinson said.
