Gordon Eliot Robbins

Gordon E. Robbins, 81 of Atlanta passed away March 1, 2013. He was born in Oakland, California in 1931 and was raised in Berkeley, California. He received a B.S. degree from the School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley in 1953. After being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, through the ROTC at the University, he was called to active duty and served in the post WWII occupation of Austria with the U.S. Forces in Austria. His public health career as a Sanitarian was with the Oakland City Health Department, and he returned to the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley under a U.S. Public Health Service Grant and received his M.P.H. degree in 1960. A Health Department Health Educator, he joined the staff of the Los Angeles County Health Department, and later became Director of Health Education in Orange County. In 1966, Gordon came to the Center for Disease Control as a regional Health Education Consultant with the West and Central African Smallpox Eradication and Measles Control Program, which encompassed 20 countries. On assignment to the CDC Regional Office in Lagos, Nigeria, he was active in the eradication of smallpox. Returning to Atlanta, Georgia, he finished his employment at Center for Disease Control in the Division of Nutrition as Chief, Field Services Branch, and later as a Deputy Division Director. Until his retirement, he was selected as Associate Director for Program Operations, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The U.S. Public Health Service Superior Service Award in 1987, the CDC William C. Watson, Jr. Medal of Excellence in 1996, the NCCDPHP Jeffery C. Koplan Award in 2002, and the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary's Distinguished Service Award in 2003 were awarded to Mr. Robbins. In 1999 he was selected for the Federal Senior Executive Service. A member of Oak Grove United Methodist Church, he especially enjoyed the support and Friday lunches with fellow members of the men's group. Also a member of the Echo Lake Homeowners Association, he held a number of offices. He is survived by his wife, Whit Harris Robbins; his children from a previous marriage: son, John G, Robbins , his wife, Nancy and their children, Steven and Allison; and daughter, Kimberly Conant and her children, Patrick, Katherine Conant and Julie Leonard; and his beloved Willy. Many thanks to Gordon's aides, Issah Issah, Betty Jones, and Franco and Elizabeth Casimir from Visiting Angels. Memorial services will be held at Oak Grove United Methodist Church at 10 AM on Saturday, March 16, 2013. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 pm on Friday, March 15th at A. S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home and Crematory, Decatur.

Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033