FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) She spent most of her life involved in education, and on Saturday, Dr. Wendy Robinson will be laid to rest. The former Fort Wayne Community Schools Superintendent passed away on August 18. She was 72 years old.

The public can attend visitation Friday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Clyde Theatre, 1808 Bluffton Road in Fort Wayne. A second visitation will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. with funeral services immediately after followed by a private burial ceremony.

A public education advocate, Robinson spent a total of 47 years as an educator in the district. She was appointed superintendent of FWCS in 2003 and served in that position for 17 years before retiring in 2020. Robinson was a changemaker, being the first female, first African American and first FWCS graduate to be named superintendent of the district, FWCS said in a statement to WANE 15. The service can be seen on Fort Wayne Community School’s Facebook page.

Robinson graduated from Central High School, going on to study at DePauw University. She didn’t stop there– Robinson earned two master’s degrees from Purdue Fort Wayne (then known as IPFW), along with a doctorate from Ball State University.

Robinson was named Indiana’s Superintendent of the Year in 2018, among many other accolades.

In an interview with WANE 15 at the time, Robinson said, “I don’t see this as something for me. I see it as a recognition of the work that happens in this district every single day. And that makes it more important that people recognize there are great things happening in the district because of the people in it.”

Robinson was invested in the community and served on multiple boards, including Parkview Health and Learning Forward. The school district’s Family and Community Engagement Center, which Robinson helped create in 2016, was renamed after her in 2022.

See some photos from her Celebration of Life and events from over the years