Young EF Productions is named in honor of my late grandfather, the Reverend Edsel Ford Robinson, Sr., a man whose legacy is worth emulating. Revered Robinson was born in 1924 on a plantation in Wrightsville, Georgia. He spent his early years picking cotton in rural Georgia. When he wasn’t working in the fields, he walked a total of ten miles to attend Woodville Elementary School. Like many African Americans after the turn of the century, he was educated in a one-room shack with used and torn books passed down from white schools. Although his formal education was sporadic, he graduated from Alfred Beach High School in 1946.

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After working odd jobs as a busboy, waiter and hospital attendant, Edsel moved to Atlanta at the age of 17. With only $35 in his pocket, he dreamed that one day he would “be somebody and serve the Lord.” Edsel became a boarder in the home of the late Bishop William A. Fountain and served as a chauffeur to him and several of the African Methodist Episcopal Church bishops. During that time Edsel sacrificed going to school consistently, often stopping mid-semester to work to send money back home to his family. He held several jobs to pay his own way through Morris Brown College where he finally completed his degree in 1959. Throughout his ministry, Reverend Robinson was known for hosting evangelical retreats, soul-stirring revivals, and his renowned annual camp meeting which featured preachers from all faiths “every hour on the hour” inside a massive tent. He used this platform to help heal his neighborhood when he erected a tent on the Herndon Elementary School grounds after witnessing a murder in the community. As a result of his dedicated service in the ministry, Reverend Robinson was bestowed a Doctor of Divinity Degree (Honoris Causa) from the Interdenominational Theological Center in 1980. Throughout his ministry, Reverend Robinson was known as a thoughtful and compassionate leader, often mentoring the careers of several ministers throughout the country.

Reverend Robinson was not only seen in the pulpit but in the halls of hospitals and nursing homes, comforting the sick and aged, spending many of his hours visiting and cheering people and lending a hand to people regardless of race or social status. In 1995, Reverend Robinson was appointed to serve as Presiding Elder of the Augusta/Athens District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

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Reverend Robinson was also active in the business community. After graduating from the Georgia Institute of Real Estate, he opened E. F. Robinson Realty Company on Auburn Avenue, which has actively served the community since its incorporation in 1976. As principal broker, Reverend Robinson mentored several up-and-coming real estate agents throughout the Atlanta area. He was also a critical mediator during the improper and illegal seizure of land owned for generations by African-American families in rural areas of Georgia.

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On March 30, 1976, well wishers from all faiths joined city officials and civic leaders as Ray Jenkins, District 2 Councilman, presented him with a proclamation on behalf of Doraville Mayor Jesse C. Norman recognizing May 30 as Reverend Edsel Ford Robinson Day. Councilman Jenkins expressed gratitude for Reverend Robinson’s contributions that included organizing the first Doraville-Chamblee Civic Organization, encouraging clean-up campaigns, the installation of streetlights and the development of recreational activities for the elderly and youth. Reverend Robinson was also recognized for his work in establishing a community food bank, visiting the sick of all faiths, working to upgrade living conditions for African Americans, and causing a spirit of Christian love to emanate throughout all people.

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As a community leader, Reverend Robinson was one of the first African-American appraisers for the Veteran’s Administration and was instrumental in organizing the first North Decatur Civic Club. He was cited in the first edition of Who’s Who Among Black Americans and named one of Fulton County’s Outstanding Citizens in 1977. His community involvement over the years has included the YMCA, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, African Methodist Episcopal Ministers Union for the Metropolitan Atlanta Area and the Helene S. Mills Senior Multipurpose Facility. In 1995, Reverend Robinson was recognized as an “Outstanding Georgia Citizen” by former Secretary of State Max Cleland.