Johnny Lawson Robinson was born on March 22nd, 1950, in Dawson, Alabama; the youngest of three children born to Thelma Inez Lawson and Horace Clay Robinson. He graduated Geraldine High School – Class of 1968. He was the youngest Deputy Sheriff in DeKalb County history at age 16; busting moonshine stills in the summers alongside Sheriff Harold Richards. He went on to Jacksonville State University and joined the Oxford Police Department to pay his way through college. He graduated with a degree in criminal justice in 1971. After graduating he moved to Scottsboro and joined the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office in 1975, to further a career in law enforcement. He attended the Birmingham School of Law and graduated in 1984, while working full time at the District Attorney’s office. He married his wife of 20 years, Mary Texas Garner in 1988 and they had their only child, John Lawson Robinson in 1989. He was elected to the Alabama State Legislature in 1994 where he served until 2014 before retiring from public service.
Some of his achievements while in office included: formally exonerating the wrongly accused Scottsboro Boys, recruiting US Gypsum to Bridgeport, establishing the Senior Rx Program, sponsoring the bill that created the James Martin Wildlife area and co-sponsoring the bill dedicating a section of I-65 as “The Lost Highway.”
John loved his family, his church, and his community. He was a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. He enjoyed listening to and performing country music. He was a believer in the adage that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’ Harnessing his gifts for human interaction and musical talent, he launched a lifelong career in public service that led to the betterment of the lives of those in the communities he served.
John was a staunch advocate for educators, law enforcement, first responders, veterans, small business owners, the environment and those most vulnerable and in need. He was a man of the people, by the people, and for the people.
John was also a playful man with a sense of humor and a quick wit. Often he and members of the ‘House Band’ – comprised of John and other musically inclined legislators, went at night to sit around the grave of Hank Williams and seek wisdom. They would sing ‘I’m so Lonesome I Could Cry’, ‘I Saw the Light’ and other Hank tunes as John played the guitar. During a particularly heated legislative session in Montgomery, John reported to a judiciary committee meeting following a long night of thought provoking conversation with Hank and was asked by the ranking member of the committee, “Mr. Robinson I see you are running late this morning. I presume you and others of this illustrious body sang around the grave of our great Alabamian Mr. Hank Williams again last night and conducted your own legislative session. Tell me, Representative Robinson, did the spirit of Hank tell you anything?” To which John responded “Yes, Mr. Chairman (Representative Fuller of Lafayette, Alabama), I must confess I was there last night, and Hank told me to tell you and the other members of this committee that the bill you are proposing isn’t worth a damn and ought to be withdrawn and amended as quickly as it was proposed.”
John was deliberate and thoughtful with his words and actions. He cared about his name and what others thought of it and told those closest to him on many occasions to “remember who you are” as he recognized the importance and value of one’s reputation, saying “it takes a lifetime to build and a minute to lose.”
John was patient and kind and never let his status as an educated man or as an elected official affect the way he perceived and treated others. Once an angry constituent marched into the office of the Jackson County Legislative Delegation and from John’s office, he heard the distraught woman telling the receptionist “I demand to see someone immediately!” Hearing this he came out and motioned her back to his office asking what was going on. She said “Representative Robinson I am here because for the third week in a row, my trash can has been left on its side in my yard by the pickup service.” John asked her if she had contacted the Solid Waste Department or her City Councilman to which she responded “well I didn’t know I was goin’ to have to go that high up.” Rather than explain to her that this was a matter typically dealt with at a level or four below his and giving her a phone number to call, he assisted her in getting in touch with the driver and ensuring her trash can was left where and how she wanted it. After that incident she told him “Representative Robinson I never voted for you before but I was wrong– you’re alright.”
John had two bumper stickers on his 2001 Buick Park Avenue. The first read “UnTax Groceries” as he believed it was a regressive tax that affected the poor disproportionately. The second read “Be Better to Your Neighbors and You’ll Have Better Neighbors” as he believed that to build a good community, members ought to build each other up rather than tear each other down…as he often quoted Hank Williams “(unless you’ve made no mistakes in your life) Be Careful of Stones You Throw.”
John was genuine, principled, compassionate and kind and he will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him or calling him a friend. May his legacy live on in those lives he touched along life’s way. Be Better to Your Neighbors and You’ll Have Better Neighbors.
John is survived by his son Lawson Robinson, sister Annette Robinson and niece Amy Robinson. He is predeceased by his mother Thelma Inez Robinson, father Horace Clay Robinson and brother Larry Robinson.
Visitation will be held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church from 4:30PM to 7PM on Tuesday, March 21st, 2023. A service celebrating his life will be held at St. Luke’s at 11:00AM on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023.
In lieu of flowers, John’s family requests that donations be made in his memory either to the St. Luke’s Food Pantry, the Northeast Alabama Community College Music Program, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, or the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Donation Information:
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Attn: Food Pantry
402 South Scott Street
Scottsboro, AL 35768
Northeast Alabama Community College Music Program
Attn: Mr. Rodney Bone – Business Office
PO Box 159
Rainsville, AL 35986
https://give.michaeljfox.org/give/421686/#!/donation/checkout
