Robin Ledbetter Hinson ’53

Robin Ledbetter Hinson ’53, of Charlotte, N.C., died peacefully on Oct. 13 at Presbyterian Hospital, surrounded by his family. Robin was born on May 26, 1931, in Rockingham, N.C., son of the late Minor Thurlow Hinson and Emma Gray Ledbetter Hinson, and brother of the late Minor Thurlow Hinson, Jr. He graduated from Davidson magna cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. In his senior year at Davidson he married his childhood sweetheart, Frances “Sis” Garrett, with whom he shared 54 wonderful years until her death last October. After serving his country as an officer in the U.S. Navy, Robin enrolled in the UNC School of Law, where he graduated with highest honors, was elected editor-in-chief of The North Carolina Law Review, and was inducted into the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Order of the Coif, the law school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa. Upon graduation in 1958, he accepted the faculty’s invitation to become assistant professor and assistant dean of the UNC law school. In 1961, he entered the private practice of law with the firm of Leath, Bynum, Blount & Hinson in his native Rockingham. Subsequently he served as associate general counsel for the Carolina Power and Light Company in Raleigh, vice president and general counsel for Hanes Corporation in Winston-Salem, and senior vice president and general counsel for First Union Corporation in Charlotte. In 1978 he reentered the private practice of law with the firm of Robinson, Bradshaw, & Hinson, P.A. in Charlotte. For more than 20 years, as the founder and teacher of the N.C. Bar Review course, he helped a whole generation of lawyers gain admission to practice in North Carolina by passing the state bar examination on a full range of subjects. Among his many other contributions to the legal profession, Robin served as a member of the N.C. General Statutes Commission, a member of the State Constitution Study Commission, a member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, a director of the UNC Law Foundation, and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation; and in 1992 he received the UNC School of Law Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest honor the school bestowed on an alumnus. He was looking forward to delivering the principal address at the annual meeting of the state bar in Raleigh on Oct. 23, honoring him and his colleagues celebrating 50 years of law practice in North Carolina. His contributions to the whole community were likewise generous and varied, including service on the board of Foundation for the Carolinas, Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center, Crisis Assistance Ministry, The United Methodist Foundation for Western N.C., and N.C. Public Television Foundation, Inc. Robin was an avid fisherman and outdoorsman, especially early in his life, and enjoyed tennis, golf, chess, cooking, and playing bridge. His life was marked by an uncommon devotion to his family, his friends, and his profession. Robin is survived by his sons, Robin Ledbetter Hinson, Jr.; Reid Garrett Hinson ’78, 1215 Yale Pl., Charlotte, NC 28209-1439; and Minor Thurlow Hinson ’84 (Tiffany). He is also survived by his grandchildren, Garrett, Gray, Minor, and Sara Frances Hinson.