(Editor’s note: The following is excerpted from an interview by Dr. Tollett of Governor Lamar Alexander regarding C.B. Robinson)

The thought for naming the bridge for Representative Robinson is an awfully good idea and one in which I was glad to participate. It turned out to be the most expensive bridge we have in the state. This is not his fault, but it is an indication that it is not just a little bridge. It is an important bridge in a community where he has helped bridge a lot of important human relationships over the years. I think it is important for men and women and especially young people to have a variety of other people in their lives who they can look up to and whose actions they can consider and from whom they can learn a lot. I remember in my childhood that there were a dozen people or so who I learned to learn things from. That is particularly true when you are thinking of public policy or public life because there is no school for that. You have to learn from watching other people.

C.B. Robinson would be a good person for young people to watch, whether they are young black people or young white people. He is an educator. He was recognized by President Kennedy many years ago and served on an important National Commission. He has been a very active member of his political party, understanding the importance of a two-party system in this state. At the same time he has never put his party before his country. He has never put his party before the interests of other people including black people who were in circumstances like his own.

I remember very well in 1980 when I filled a vacancy on the Supreme Court of Tennessee with the Honorable George H. Brown, Jr., a black man from Memphis, the first black ever appointed to that court in Tennessee. Representative Robinson was one of the first to support him publicly. Representative Robinson's leadership caused Justice Brown to carry Chattanooga, which was a significant achievement for a black man; in fact, he nearly carried the entire general election in the state which would really have made history. C.B. stepped right up and supported Justice Brown, although he was running under the Republican ticket.

I have nothing but admiration for Mr. Robinson. I was proud to participate in the bridge naming and he is a wonderful model for other people. No one should try to be exactly like him because everybody is a different person and C.B. would be the first to say that. He has got a lot of characteristics and a lot of good habits and a lot of leadership qualities that we need a lot more of.