Remembering Dr. M. J. Robins

The BYU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has lost another beloved emeritus professor, Dr. Morris Joseph Robins. Born on September 28th, 1939 in Nephi, Utah, Robins passed away on December 16th, 2023. He is survived by eight children, 28 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren.

Robins enjoyed a successful international career and became a globally-renowned chemist. A graduate of the University of Utah class of 1961, Robins went on to intern with Eastman Kodak and held a postdoctoral position at the Roswell Park Memorial Cancer Research Institute. He received his PhD from Arizona State University and held positions at the University of Utah, the University of Alberta, and eventually was recruited by Brigham Young University as a professor of organic and medicinal research chemistry.

During his career, Robins also successfully created and owned several drug patents. He was a prestigious, sought-after mentor and served as chairman of the Gordon Research Center for many years.

On his tribute wall on the Walker Anderson Funeral Home website, family, friends, and associates remembered Robins as humble, kind, pure-hearted, and compassionate. Their testaments bear witness that his gentle character and faith were just as integral to his life as the innovative chemistry and profession he loved.

In lieu of flowers, the Robins family requested that family and friends donate to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Light the World campaign, which provides basic necessities for impoverished families around the world in a vending-machine transactional form during the month of December. “In lieu of flowers,” his obituary says, “please consider donating to one of Morris’s favorite charity campaigns, the Light the World Giving Machines. Goats were his favorite donation item.” Friends and associates can donate to this cause when the Giving Machines open again in December of each year.

The BYU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry expresses its utmost gratitude for Dr. Robins and his personal and professional contributions to both BYU and the chemical community at large. The department also expresses its sincerest condolences to the Robins family and wishes them peace and healing during this time.

To read Robins’ complete obituary, please visit https://www.walkersanderson.com/obituaries/Morris-Joseph-Robins?obId=30130714.