Lenard Harold Robinson was the second of two children born to Rev. Warren H. Robinson and Mrs. Lillie V. Robinson on Sunday, January 22, 1956 in Mound Bayou, MS. His birth closely followed the birth of his twin brother, Ledell Howard Robinson, by four minutes.
Lenard, a Cleveland, MS native, was educated in both the private and public schools in Cleveland, having graduated from the Little Rascal’s Kindergarten, H. M. Mailor Elementary School, and East Side High School. While at East Side, Lenard played the trumpet in the award-winning concert band and marching band, both under the direction of James D. Stamps. Subsequent to completing his high school education in Cleveland, Lenard entered and graduated from Mississippi Valley State University. At “The Valley”, Lenard became a member of the “Lean Mean Green Marching Machine” for a short period of time. He also studied law in the Mississippi State Bar’s Preceptorship Program at the University of Mississippi.
After graduating from college, Lenard was employed by Baxter Lab’s and North Mississippi Rural Legal Services wherein serving as a paralegal in both the Cleveland and Clarksdale offices. He continued representing clients in Social Security, SSI, employment, and other administrative matters for 30 years with Mississippi Center for Legal Services Corp. After leaving MCLSC, Lenard worked as a paralegal with the United States Attorney General’s office.
While working in Clarksdale, Lenard was assigned to the “Sugar Ditch” case. This case dealt with people who lived in bug-infested housing and lived directly in front of a major ditch with raw sewage flowing through. As a result of Lenard’s efforts and that of Louis Armstrong, Attorney Alvin Chambliss, and Rev. Jesse Jackson, a congressional zoning was held in Jackson, resulting in the first casino being established in Mississippi. When the casino opened, most of Lenard’s Sugar Ditch clients became gainfully employed for the first time in their lives.
Lenard grew up in the St. Peter’s Rock M.B. Church in Cleveland and accepted Christ as his personal Lord and Savior at the age of eight years. Upon moving to Jackson, Lenard loved and became a member of the Friendship Baptist Church where he was a member of the Voices of Friendship. For the last five years of his life, Lenard was a member of the Little Church Choir at Shady Grove Baptist in Vicksburg, MS where his brother served as choir director.
While living in Jackson, Lenard was a member of Masterplan, an instrumental Gospel group; a founding member of the Church Band, the Cade Chapel Baptist Church Orchestra and Jazz Band; and a member of the Mississippi Valley State Band Alumni.
Lenard was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Warren H. Robinson and Mrs. Lillie V. Robinson; his maternal grandparents, Dock and Martha Little; and his paternal grandparents, Crawford and Florence Robinson.
Lenard leaves to cherish his memories: his twin brother, Ledell Robinson, who was with him for 65 years, 9 months, 11 days, 4 hours and 17 minutes; a sister (from another mother and father), Fern Walker Anderson; one nephew, Dylan Stewart; one niece, Amber Grace Stewart; and a host of relatives and friends.
Funeral Services were held September 18, 2021 at Unity Fellowship Church, 5609 Clinton Blvd. in Jackson, with Westhaven Memorial Funeral Home handling arrangements.
