Be Responsible, the legacy of Professor W. Neal Robison

I found out today that William "Neal" Robison, a beloved former professor of mine from the Murrow School of Communication (as it was known then), died last week. He was 83.

2006 Cable 8 20th Anniversary Celebration

 

It can’t be overstated how much Neal showed his care and interest for his students. He was a tall man with an authoritative, booming broadcast voice but so often at the end of his lectures he would say to us, ‘be responsible, dammit’ because ‘I love you guys.’ And we knew he meant it. Going to college in rural Pullman Washington and being removed from the faster pace of the big cities, created this special pocket of time and space. Besides going to classes together, the broadcasting students worked on TV shows, newscasts and projects in addition to frequenting Mexican restaurants and bars featuring cheap pitchers with an unmatched ferocity. That ferocity was also mirrored in our reverence and esteem for our broadcast faculty, including Mr. Neal Robison. 

All Comm majors had to take his 101 class so everyone throughout the Communication disciplines knew him but the broadcasting kids had him as our advisor for the student-run cable station (Cable 8) and as an instructor for upper-level radio and broadcasting classes. All of this is to say, you know when you are in the presence of someone who truly loves what they do and cares about their impact on others. He shared his love of jazz and the show ‘Cop Rock’ with us in addition to putting up with the headaches (and even indulging in some of the hijinks) that come with college kids having access to a TV studio, audio/visual equipment and a cable channel. But he emphatically reminded us that as communicators, we had a paramount and solemn responsibility to be accurate, fair and thoughtful. I have always remembered that.

At one of the many Mexican Restaurant group dinners out 1996

As the fourth member of KISS, Halloween 1996

After graduating in 1997, I would return to Pullman to celebrate Neal’s retirement in 2005 by helping with an alumni surprise party. Neal had not been privy to any of the secret plans to gather alumni. He expressed his frustration that not very many students were present at his (decoy) celebration. But during the presentation honoring his retirement, the back wall suddenly opened to the auditorium and through the smokey fog machine and under a disco ball lined with streamers, rose the cheers and clapping of over 50 alumni and former students. Even though some couldn’t attend, many alumni still donated money for a special gift, wrote messages of congratulations and even sent in video clips. It was truly a moment to honor this dedicated educator and mentor who impacted our lives in ways big and small.

In 2006, the following year, Cable 8 would celebrate its milestone 20th birthday and we found ourselves gathering in Pullman once again, in the company of our beloved alumni and broadcast faculty, which included a retired Neal Robison. He spoke at the banquet and then accompanied us to the afterparty at the oak-paneled jazz pub, Rico’s in downtown Pullman.  It was an incredible weekend hanging with Neal and WSU friends--a high point I will never forget. But that would mark the last time I ever saw Neal.

I have learned things I never knew about him in reading his obituary. Like, he was a long distance runner…He loved cycling…He ended up settling post-retirement very close to my hometown in SW Washington…The number of beloved grandkids he had. Reflecting upon him and the influence he had on me and my classmates, evokes an appreciation and a gratitude for the brief but meaningful time we shared with him. ‘We are the lucky ones,’ a fellow alumna declared when commiserating with me about this loss. Indeed we are. RIP Neal.