Florence Bell Robinson

Florence Bell Robinson joined the faculty of the Department of Landscape Architecture in 1926 and shortly after in 1929 became the first woman at the University of Illinois to hold a tenure-track position. At a time when gender norms prescribed that most women not attend college, Robinson encouraged female students to study landscape architecture. Robinson slowly moved up the ranks, becoming associate professor in 1949 and full professor for plant identification and planting design in 1951. Her work was integral to the department’s early success in establishing a highly ranked landscape architecture program. Through her teaching and publications, Robinson made a lasting impact on her students, at least three of whom—Hideo Sasaki, Richard Haag, and Peter Walker—became known for formulating modernist approaches to landscape architecture.