Dr. Louis Robison
Dr. Louis Robison was age 13 when his family moved to Sarasota from Overtown, in inner city Miami.
His community there was diverse. Not so much in his adopted hometown of Newtown. It was a predominantly Black and rural neighborhood with mostly unpaved streets. Robison entered 7th grade at Booker High School where Roland Rogers served as principal. “Teachers required excellence in terms of academic expectations. It was difficult to get away with anything because the community was so small. Music was a contributor to my success in life,” said Robison who played tuba in the BHS band, a crowd favorite at parades.
A transfer to Riverview High School from Booker during integration disrupted the lives of classmates but the mature teenager had already experienced transitions and knew how to navigate them. Robison attended college and rose through the ranks as a school administrator. He later became principal of RHS. Under his leadership, “with the help of a great team” the school went from a “C” school to an “A.”
