State Representative Allen Peak and the Macon-Bibb state delegation, Macon-Bibb County, and the Department of Transportation will officially dedicate a bridge on Riverside Drive the Wm. Lee Robinson Memorial Bridge with a ceremony on Friday, March 31 at 2:00 p.m. The bridge is the one on Riverside Drive between 1609 and 1760 Riverside Drive that crosses Interstate 75, and the ceremony will be held at the Bibb County School District’s Professional Learning Center (2011 Riverside Drive).
Robinson was a lifelong public servant that graduated from Bibb County Public Schools and earned a degree from Georgia Tech before enlisting in the United States Army and earning three Bronze Stars and an Army Commendation Medal for his service in the Vietnam War. Following his discharge in 1972, he served in the Reserves for 31 years and rising to the rank of Colonel.
Beginning in 1974, Robinson served four terms as a State Senator and was a champion of open government and ensuring state agencies and boards were still effectively serving the state. In 1987, Robinson was elected to a single term as Mayor of the City of Macon, where he developed several community programs, including a model war-on-drugs program, the Quality Labor Force Council, Mayor’s Housing Council, and a Junior City Council for youth leaders.
Even after leaving the Mayor’s Office, Robinson kept working to make sure local government and its facilities best served the public. As an avid pilot and airman, he was instrumental in the development and placement of a new aviation campus for Middle Georgia State University at the Macon Downtown Airport. In 2015, he received the inaugural Macon-Bibb Aviator of the Year Award for his support of the airports and their future growth.
After leaving the Mayor’s Office, Robinson continued in private law practice until 2003, and in 2004, he was selected to serve as the Circuit Public Defender of the Macon Judicial Circuit. He founded in 2005 and served as president of the Georgia Association of Circuit Public Defenders, and he helped establish a Mental Health Court in Bibb County.
Robinson was a tireless advocate for and supporter of the many community organizations working to improve Macon-Bibb County, including the Cherry Blossom Festival, Macon Jaycees, Rotary Club, Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful, Middle Georgia Cancer Society, Alzheimer’s Association, and others. He also was a founding member of Ingleside Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, and participating on mission trips all over the world.